Going Batty?
by Sparkling-nexis137
Summary: A dangerous crime spree has just begun in the land of Mobius, and who else could be behind it but the world's most famous jewel theif, Rouge the bat. The problem is Rouge seems to be after something very different than just the usual jewels.
1. Breaking and Entering

**Going Batty?**

**Authors Note**: Hi Hi everyone! Sparkling is back and brighter than ever! I've been gone for a while thanks to my super horrible school work, so what better way to kick off my grand literary return that with a little Sonic fun! With this particular story, I decided to try my hand at a little brain teaser. A sorta of mystery to see if you can figure out what's going on before it's revealed. If you have any guesses, then your welcome to speak them out, but beware, I won't make it very easy to guess. Anyways, enjoy the story. ^^

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Breaking and Entering<strong>

The Bright Corps Main Building. One of the most heavily secured places in all of Station Square. The Bright corporation was renowned for being a people's company, donating millions each year to charity organizations and even sending their own workers into the field for their own brand of cheerful service to the community. None the less, they were a multi-billion dollar corporation, which meant their security was nothing to laugh about.

The building itself was at least fifty stories high, the entire outside covered with pressure sensitive glass. There was only one entrance to and from the building directly in front with two motion sensitive security cameras mounted on either side. To get in one not only had to have a clearance I.D. Card, but also had to enter an password known only to employees and hold their eye up to a mounted retinal scanner directly above the keypad as they did it.

"Looks like somebody doesn't want me to pay a visit."

From two hundred feet away, a certain white haired figure was spying at the building through a sleek pink scope. Slowly she lowered the scope, slipping it into a pouch at her hip with a smile. She had actually designed the pouch itself so that it could be opened from both the top and bottom. If one were upright, one could simply open up the top and reach inside like anyone else. And if one were upside down, one could open up the bottom for the same effect, making sure nothing fell out towards the ground. It was the perfect accessory for someone who had a habit of hanging upside down. Someone like Rouge the Bat.

The white haired bat laughed to herself lightly as she stared at the building before her. The image of the glass covering the building reflecting the light from the surrounding city made the entire thing look like a massive jewel. At least to her eyes anyways. Unfortunately, if all things went according to plan tonight would yield something a little different than the jewels she loved so much to take for herself. The thought of not being able to clutch a freshly stolen piece of jewelery to her chest tonight was somewhat saddening, but the thought of what a success tonight might lead to more than made up for it. The bat thief's eyes drifted sideways as she watch a pair of men in blue security uniform start to walk across the square that lead to the building.

"Right on time, boys." said the bat to herself. The two seemed so content, chatting as they walked along to their perfectly happy job, probably thinking about the easy night they would have guarding a building that already had more security features than most major banks in the known world. It almost made the thief sad to have to ruin their night.

Almost. But not quite.

The smiling bat dropped from her upside down perch in one of the trees a moderate distance from the buildings central plaza. As she landed she reached into her bag, and pulled out what appeared to be a sleeping squirrel. She then pulled out a key, like one would find in most wind up toys. The bat stuck the key into the back of the squirrel, turning it three times in succession before removing it. Immediately the squirrel perked up, adorable eyes flashing open, as it cutely stretched and started to clean its mechanical paws.

"You remember what to do?" she asked the squirrel resting in the palm of her hand. The tiny robot nodded before scurrying off across the plaza towards the two men. Rouge couldn't help but smile as she drew a black mask over the bottom half of her face. Her little friend may have cost her a pretty penny, but he really was a great investment.

* * *

><p>"She didn't!"<p>

"Oh, yes she did."

"I don't believe it! You're making this up."

The first security guard shook his head slowly with his arms crossed. "No, I'm telling you it's true. On the last episode of Rosa por mi Amor, Juanita found the letter that confirmed that the guy she had been dating was _not_ her life long childhood best friend turned handsome doctor slash part time model who she was reunited with after the volcano exploded, but was actually his long lost evil twin brother who had been switched at birth with the child of a circus freak show act who passed away in a freak trapeze accident two years after the long lost twin was brought home causing him to go insane and strive to steal his brother's life after finding out from the psycho hobo who was actually Juanita's mom's next door neighbor's crazy dog groomer that he actually had a brother in the first place."

"So what did she do?" asked the second security guard.

"I don't know yet." admitted the first. "It took twenty episodes just for her to open the letter after she found it. There was this whole inner emotional battle thing where she kept contemplating whether or not she really wanted to know what was in the letter, and how she thought she would feel if what she thought was in the letter actually was in the letter."

"That took twenty episodes?"

"Well, there were a couple of those flashback episodes where the main character reflects on everything that's been happening while trying to make up their minds about something, which leads to those really long montages of things from past episodes."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuugh." moaned the first. "I always despise those episodes. It's like I've already seen all the stuff that they're flashing back to, so why do I need to watch it all again? If I wanted to do that I could just buy the box set and watch a bunch of reruns."

"I think they put them in there so people who are new to the series can get caught up on everything that's going on without having to actually go back and re-watch the entire series from the beginning. Besides, it wasn't all those kinds of episodes. There was also this abstract fantasy episode where she imaged what life would be like with an evil twin. That one guy from those commercials made a special guest appearance."

"Which commercials?"

"You know, the one where that guy is having a bad day and then all the sudden starts dancing around with all these ladies dressed in flower costumes? And then it shows all of them dancing in the streets with rainbows and fireworks blasting off behind them as they make their way to the ocean and hold a beach party with that old rock and roll band your mom always listened to playing on a stage in front of a giant smiley faced shaped bonfire?"

"You mean the butter commercial?"

"Yeah!"

"I love that butter!" exclaimed the first. "It kind of tastes like regular butter, but it's got zero percent flibocarbons in it! I wasn't even aware of how many flibocarbons the average person consumes in a day."

"Really? How many flibocarbons does the average person consume in a day."

The second security guard put a finger to his chin. "You know, I'm not actually sure, but the little blurb at the end of the commercial made it sound like it was a lot."

The first security guard nodded. "Maybe I need to start watching my intake of flibocarbons. You know lately I..."

The man was brought to an abrupt stop as the second one held out his arm. The first man looked curiously at the second for a moment before following his gaze down before the fountain in the central plaza.

"Look!" said the second. The two stared down at the ground where a tiny squirrel was wrestling on the ground with an acorn. The squirrel rolled over the acorn like a ball, occasionally lying on its back with the acorn on top of it, batting it swiftly between its two tiny paws before having it roll off causing the tiny squirrel to have to chase after it and start the process all over again.

"Isn't he so cute!" whispered the second security guard to the first with a big smile. The first simply smiled and shook his head.

"We can't be getting ourselves distracted by a squirrel." he said in a light reprimanding tone. "Now, come on. If we don't hurry we'll be late and I don't really feel like..."

"Awww, come on!It's just so adorable!" said the second, now crouched down closer to the ground as he watched the squirrel continue to play with the acorn. "I'm gonna try to pet it."

"You're not supposed to pet wild animals!"

"It won't hurt it!" said the second in protest as he turned back to the squirrel. "Besides, I think he likes me." The security guard held out his hand and started making little kissing noises. "Come here squirrely squirrel. Come here. I won't hurt you." As the man continued to make the sounds, the squirrel slowly started to inch towards him, cautiously sniffing ahead as he moved. "See? That's a good squirrely squirrel! Who's a cutie face? Yes you awe. Yes you awe."

The squirrel slowly climber up into the man's hand, sniffing around a bit before smiling up at the man with a grin so adorable it could make a Ebinizer Scrooge give cash for the holidays.

"I told you he liked me!" said the second guard as he first simply smiled, shaking his head. "I told you he, woooaaah!" The man suddenly stood up as the rambunctious squirrel ran into the sleeve of his shirt and started running around beneath. The man tried to grab the squirrel infiltrating his uniform even as he suddenly started to double over laughing. "Hey now! No. That tickles. Stohahahaha~! Stop it! Stop ihahahahaa~!"

The first man shook his head, laughing lightly to himself as he watched his companion struggle to get his new friend under control. A sudden gust of wind from behind the man caused him to pause for a moment. He turned around for a moment, but there was nothing there. All that could be seen were the trees of the nearby park a couple hundred feet away. The man seemed to pause for a long moment before he turned back around to his friend, still enthralled in fits of giggling.

"Okay. Okay. Now we really need to cut this short. We're already gonna be late."

The second man giggled for a moment longer before the squirrel crawled out through his sleeve, and leapt, going back to batting his acorn all around the front of the building, occasionally looking at the second man as if he wanted him to come join in the impromptu game of acorn ball.

"Sorry little fellow." said the second security guard. "I gotta go now. See you."

The two security guards began walking away towards the door, where the mounted motion sensitive security cameras were having a field day twisting back and forth as they stared at the apparently hyperactive squirrel. The two guards walked up to the front door, both still laughing at all they had experienced.

"I wonder if the vending machines have nuts." pondered the second security guard as he held his eye up to the scanner, sliding his card through slot below. As beams from inside began scanning his retina to confirm his identity he typed in a seven digit password on the mounted keypad. With the scan complete he stepped back to allow the first security guard to repeat the same process.

"Do you really think that squirrel is still going to be there after our shift is over?"

"You never know."

The first security guard stepped back as the front door began making several clicking noises like bolts unlocking. Eventually the door hissed open, and the two entered into the building, the second security guard waving back to the squirrel one more time as the doors began to close.

As the two guard disappeared inside, the squirrel momentarily stopped in his play to watch the door shut. He gave a cheerful smile before grabbing his acorn and running off into the trees of the park once more where immediately ran up a tree a little further in. The squirrel yawned and stretched, before spinning in a tight circle and laying down. There was an almost inaudible clicking sound as the robotic squirrel's inner mechanisms started to wind down in preparation for sleep mode. With a final look at the building the squirrel closed its eyes, going to sleep mode, knowing that it had been a job well done, and wondering if it would get a treat for performing so well.

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><p>The second security guard watched the squirrel scamper off into the park as the doors finished closing. A sudden breeze from behind caused him to turn around. He looked to either side. Had he imagined it, or...<p>

"Come on!" shouted his friend from down the hallway. The second security guard shrugged off his suspicions as he chased after his friend, oblivious to the bat currently clinging to the ceiling above him. Rouge spring green eyes sparkled with mirth as she watched the two go on their merry way.

'They're making this way too easy.' she said smiling.

The ivory-haired thief crawled along the ceiling using her nails and the sharpened tips of her boots to keep her grip. She carefully peaked around the corner as the first hallway split in two directions. A building such as this wasn't very easy to navigate. At least not with all the security cameras that were lining the hallway. As she peaked around the corner she noticed the two security guards still walking down the hallway, the security cameras each following their movements for a moment before going back to sweeping scans. She quickly looked around, trying to find some way to avoid the security cameras.

It only took her a second to notice the slender air vent position right in the middle of the place where the hallways split. She acted fast, pulling out an acorn from her bag. She lowered her mask.

"_Squeek! Squeek!"_

The bat quickly dropped the acorn to the ground before ducking back behind the wall.

"Did you hear that?"

The two security guards rushed back to the intersection in front of the first hallway. One of them picked up the acorn on the ground.

"Do you think that squirrel somehow got inside?" asked the one who had played with the squirrel.

"We better hope not." said his partner. "The boss would kill us for letting a squirrel get in to this building."

_'What would he do to you for letting a bat in?' _thought Rouge silently as she looked down from above.

"Which way do you think he went?"

The first security guard put his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "We didn't see him when we ran down the hallway, but we can't take any chances." He looked up. "You head down that way, and I'll head down this way."

"Got it."

The two security guards rushed away in opposite directions, with the camera following their every move. There was just a split second before the cameras went back to sweeping. As quick as a bolt of lighting, Rouge flew across the hallways, quickly yanking out the grant before sliding in, dragging the grate back into position as she went.

The bat waited silently as she listened for signs that she had been noticed. Her sensitive ears tensed awaiting the dreaded sounds of alarms or the rapid footsteps of guards approaching, but all that was heard were the echoing footsteps of the two security guards as they plowed off into a wild goose chase. She waited until the sound all but disappeared before smiling to herself. Slowly she started to scoot backwards through the narrow shaft, making sure her steel toed boots didn't clang against the walls.

She continued backwards for a long while. The shaft was too narrow for her to turn around in. Normally a shaft like this wouldn't even accommodate a full sized human, but luckily for Rouge she was a bit more slender then the average thief. Eventually, her feet touched on thin air, signifying the area where a vertical shaft in the air duct system converged with a horizontal shaft. Rouge continued backwards, her lower body dangling in the air for a moment before she allowed herself to drop into the vertical shaft. Quickly her hands reached out pressing against the side to keep her from falling.

"Muuuuuch better." she thought to herself. The air ducts were pitch black. Not a speck of light shown into the inner workings of the building, which suited Rouge just fine. The bat closed her eyes, and let out an ultrasonic wave of sound beyond the range of human hearing. The sound rang out silently through the air ducts, echoing off the walls and out into the various branches of the air conditioning system. The bat smiled. To her sound was better than any light switch she could flip on. Bats didn't need light. Though seeing with her own spring green eyes was wonderful, it was a bat's ability of echolocation that kept her safe when flying at night, or when sneaking into the main building of a multibillion dollar company.

The ivory-haired thief continued to climb, continually emitting ultra-sonic waves along the way to guide her towards her destination. She climber higher and higher for what seemed like hours. However, eventually she made it to her destination, the forty sixth floor. She climber into a side branch in the air duct system, this time belly crawling forward along the cool metal surface. She was glad that not even a spider could normally get in this place, otherwise she would have covered in cobwebs by now and nursing quit a few spider bites. She had been in air ducts before that we so fully of the things that she came out looking like stick full of coconut flavored cotton candy.

Time passed quicker the closer she got to her goal. She loved that feeling. The rush of adrenaline as she got closer and closer to your goal. Further and further into the grip of danger. It was one of the most wonderful feelings to straddle the line between victory and defeat, and became all the more glorious the thinner that line got. She still prefer jewels, but that sensation definitely came in her top ten of things she lived for.

Light shined up through a nearby vent causing her breath to catch in her throat as she tried to make her movements as silent as absolutely possible. Slowly she slide forward, peering down ever so subtly at what lied below. She smiled as she saw what she had been looking for. Slowly she reached into her bag, removing a small screw driver from her side as she started to work on screws that held down the vent.

Only a minute passed before vent was completely unscrewed and shoved off to the side. The ivory haired thief dropped to the floor as silently as a feather falling on new fallen snow, looking around with a satisfied smile.

"Well well well." she said as she looked around. The entire room was like the inside of a massive computer. Monoliths, hard drives, and computer screens lines most of the walls, with the back wall cleared of everything except for a large metal door held shut by no less than six massive dead bolts. The room was decked in shadows with only a deep green light coming from the computers to provide illumination.

Rouge glanced at the door, and couldn't help laughing to herself. For all the security this company had, it still hadn't been enough to keep her out. She started to walk over towards the computer screen when her eyes focused on something right in front of her face. A single red beam shining ever so neatly across the space in front of her. The bat slowly, deliberately moved a had into her pouch, pulling out a bottle of a peculiar chalky white powder. Carefully she sprinkled a tiny bit into her hand before gently flinging it into the air.

A silent hiss ran between her teeth as the beams that currently surrounded her came into sharp focus. She slowly started to look around, noticing exactly how close she had come to touching several of them. An inch further in any direction and she would have set off more bells than a Christmas sleigh. She stood still as a statue, pondering her next move, and the move after that, plotting ever movement that would need to be made in order to avoid detection and thinking of any way possible to make sure she got to that computer.

Slowly, deliberately, a smile crossed her face as she reached into her pack once more. She pulled out a pair of heart shaped sunglasses. The carefully moved the reflective surface in front of the closer beam, causing it to shoot off into the corner of the room.

"Lucky I'm always so fashionable." she said smoothly as she carefully made her way between the beams, stepping lightly over the lower ones and using her glasses to deflect beams that would be too complicated to move through normally. Sometimes her movements appeared elegant and graceful, like a ballerina performing to Beethoven on stage, yet other time they were more reminiscent of a back up dancer performing in a pop music video. Either way she eventually made it to the main console, slipping her fabulous shades over her eyes as she carefully sat down in the large chair already in front of the desk.

"Now, time to get what I came for." The bat reached into her bag and pulled out a what looked like a heart shaped portable hard drive, plugging it into the nearest USB drive she could find. She quickly started typing away at the key board, but then stopped for a moment. She sniffed the air lightly, and then, slowly leaned over and sniffed the back of the chair she was sitting in. She quickly withdrew, a look of slight disgust across her face.

"Uh. Even the chair smells like nerd." she muttered under her breath as her finger went straight back to typing. Swiftly she opened up a file from her hard drive, and dragged it onto the main server of the network. In a matter of seconds, the silhouette of a large, anthropomorphic bat appeared, blowing a kiss at the screen before dispersing into several smaller bats that appeared to flood into the network.

The computers all around the room seemed to hum with electricity as the virus began to take over. Sparks flew from the consoles for a moment before all the green lights on the monitors suddenly turned pink, casting the room in a much more glamorous hue. Rouge sat back in her chair for just a moment, savoring victory before quickly sitting back up, going straight back to work. Her virus would only give her five minutes of completely undetected access, which meant she had a very limited time frame to get what she came for. She quickly began going through the _previously_ classified files, searching for anything and everything to her interest. Several articles caught her eye, but they weren't exactly what she was looking for. Branch after branch of files and folders flew by as she raced against the clock. At the twenty second mark she stumbled across a file label "top secret", which of course translated to "Come right on in a read me you beautiful bat you." With a quick click of the mouse she opened it, scanning the text as fast as she could. Her eyes started to sparkle as she poured hungrily over the information. This was what she had come for.

A message popped up in the lower screen alerting her to the fact that she had only five seconds left. She quickly ejected her hard drive and deleted all records of her having ever accessed the elaborate mechanism as the lights once more switched to green. She sat in her chair, committing all she had learned quickly to memory, making sure every last detail was etched into her brain. Five minutes passed before she was finally done.

"Glad that that's over." she said, reaching into her bag. "Now it's time for the real fun to start." The bat's spring green eyes gleamed deviously under the light of the monitors as she slowly started to pull out something red.

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><p>"Are you sure they're not just playing a trick on us?" asked a muscular security guard as he and his thing partner walked down the hallway forty six stories above the ground.<p>

"Why would they lie about a squirrel possibly being in the building?"

"Because they want to make sure they get all the donuts before we get any." said the muscular security guards crossing his arms.

"You think so?"

"Are you kidding? I'd bet a weeks pay that we don't hide nor hair of anything amiss tonight. I..."

The security guard was cut off as the wall directly in front of him exploded outwards. The two stumbled backwards, falling on their behinds as the dust cleared a crimson haired figure as they rushed from the hole, long dreadlocks blocking the face from view. The figure quickly crashed through the glass wall lining one side of the hallway, and glided off into the night without saying a word.

The two guards continued to sit dumbstruck for a moment before both hurried to their feet to look out the window at the disappearing figure.

"Was that..."

"Couldn't be..."

The two turned around towards the hole in the wall directly beside the large bolted door. Slowly, cautiously they stepped inside, and both gasped with horror. The entire computer system had been destroyed. The machinery was mangled beyond recognition, and several of the more critical pieces were actually on fire. The muscular guard ran from the room to look for a fire extinguisher while the thin one moved deeper into the room towards the main console. The light from the fires lite something wedge directly between two surviving keys on the keyboard. The guard slowly reached out a picked up a card, staring at it in disbelief. There, right on the front of the card, was a stylized picture of a very familiar looking echidna giving a thumbs up, with the word "Thanks" written in blocky letters below.

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><p>Rouge laughed to herself as the distance between her and the blaring sirens grew greater and greater. She would have to go back later to retreive her mechanical friend of course, but for now she had to focus on making a clean escape. As soon as she was sure she was out of range of the cameras, the ivory-haired theif reached up on top of her head, removing a wig of crimson dreadlocks, and shoving it into her bag along with the crimson cloak that covered her slender black wings from view. Things were about to get very interesting for her and a certain annoying echidna very quickly, and she for one couldn't wait to see what was going to happen.<p>

For a moment Rouge's eyes seemed to grow distant. She flew in silence for just a moment before the thought of the echnidna's face when he found out what was going on flashed through her mind. The sheer hilarity of the image in the theif's mind cause her to start to chuckle lightly, and then burst into full blown laughter! Her gleeful cries filled the night time sky over the shining city below. Eventually she managed to calm herself, starting to glide lower as she prepared to go return to retrieve her mechanical companion still waiting in the woods near where she had just came from. As she began to turn her eyes drifted in the direction of Angel Island, and she imagined Knuckles sleeping soundly, completely unaware of everything that would soon occur.

"Get a good night's sleep, Knuckie." she said softly. "For soon sleep will be the least of your worries."

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><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: Yay! The very first chapter of my very first Sonic story is complete! I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know what cha think if you have time. Thanks a bunch! Until next time. ^^


	2. Prelude to Chaos

**Chapter 2: Prelude to Chaos**

One Week Earlier

The spring sun shone over Angel Island, warming the surface. The sole resident of the island basked in the gentle sunshine as a light breeze blew over the emerald grass he was laying upon. Knuckles smiled to himself as his crimson dreadlocks gently rolled side to side on either side of his head, occasionally brushing a lock out of his face only for it to go right back mere moment's later. He didn't worry though. Today was going to be a great day. In an hour he was going to go have lunch at Cream's house. Guarding the Master Emerald all day was a time consuming job to say the least, and the chance to go out for anything close to the gourmet food that Vanilla cooked was a rare delight.

After lunch, he and the rest of the gang were going out to help Cream pick flowers for her latest project. If the world were ever in danger from lack of flower crowns, Cream could probably save the entire planet single handed. And to top it all of, Tails was going to fly them high into the mountains for "something special" as he put it, which, though it made Knuckles nervous to think he'd be away from the Master Emerald for so long, still sounded fun.

_'Nothing could ruin this day.'_ thought Knuckles with a smiled across his face.

"Well don't we look content?"

_'Spoke to soon.'_

With a snarl Knuckles opened his eyes to see none other than his least favorite visitor sitting, legs crossed, atop one of the stone pillars surrounding the Master Emerald, her black wings just now folding up from her recent landing.

"Rouge." The crimson echidna quickly rose to his feet, the same snarl still etched across his face. "What do you want?"

"Hmmmmmmmmm, let's see." said the ivory bat, placing her finger to the side of her face and looking skyward as she appeared to be thinking over the answer carefully. "What do I want? Well, I suppose diamonds would be nice to start with. Some new perfume, a brand new makeup kit, the code to every safe in the city, a life time membership to all my favorite stores. All seven Chaos Emeralds would be nice."

She looked down at Knuckles with a sly smile, placing her hands ever so elegantly beneath her chin. "Though I suppose I'd settle for one giant Master Emerald if you don't happen to have the seven smaller ones just laying around."

Knuckles sneer grew even fiercer as he raised his spiked fists, quickly positioning himself in a fighting stance. "So, you've come to try and steal the Master Emerald, huh?"

"No." she said still smiling. "I came for a date. Why don't you pick me up at eight and we can go someplace more private." The ivory bat winked causing Knuckles to immediately lose his balance and blush furiously from the out of nowhere comment. The crimson echidna quickly got his footing back in order as he waved his fist angrily at his would be tormentor.

"Stop messing around, ya crazy bat!"

"What?" she said, placing her hand to her chest dramatically. "Me? Messing around?" The dark winged thief placed her hand melodramatically to her forehead as she turned her face to the sky. "Perish the thought!"

"I said quit it!" Much to Knuckles ire, Rouge's only response was a laugh as she gently floated to the ground, her heeled boots touching ever so softly on the emerald grass.

"Fine, don't believe me." she said, raising her hands in a shrug, a smile still spread across her face. "Besides, I have bigger fish to fry tonight anyways."

"What do you mean?" said the echidna warily, his fists still held defensively in front of him as his tormentor drew closer.

"Awwwwwwww, no need to worry your pretty little head off." she said, patting his head before jumping backwards to avoid a swing from the angered echidna. He laughter floated through the air as she landed on the ground once more. "I simply meant that I already had other plans tonight. You know, just in case you refused my generous offer." She winked again, and once more had to jump out of the way of an angered fist.

"Touchy." she said smiling. "Why so riled up today?"

"Listen here, ya Batty Bat." said Knuckles angrily. "Me and the gang are going to be spending a nice, relaxing day together today, and I don't really feel like having you fly by just to ruin it before it all begins. So, why don't you just fly back to whatever cave you came from, and leave me alone?"

Rouge's smile widened. "So," she said slowly. "The great guardian Knuckles is leaving the Master Emerald alone tonight, huh?" Knuckles eyes widened as he mentally cursed his lose lips. He watched in fury as Rouge laughed at his expression.

"Well, no matter. Although an invitation to an unguarded Master Emerald is...tempting, to say the least." she watched Knuckles seethe with rage at her remark, satisfaction plane across her face. "I'm afraid my other plans still take priority."

The crimson haired echidna scowled. "Yeah, right. How do I know you won't just try to steal the Emerald the moment I'm gone?"

"Awwwwwwww, and here I thought you trusted me a bit more that that." The guardian sneered once more, and Rouge could only sigh as she held up her hands in mock defeat. "Fine. You have my word I won't try to steal the Emerald...tonight." The echidna still looked unconvinced, which was still as amusing as ever to the bat. She gave the riled up guardian one last smile before her wings snapped open behind her. She quickly took to the air, floating high over the Master Emerald.

"Enjoy your day off, Knuckie." she said with a wink as she soared off into the skies, leaving the baffled Echidna behind. The crimson hero stared after her until she just a black dot in the sky, before letting out a final tsk of irritation.

"Crazy bat." he turned around, trying to dismiss her intrusion into his home, yet still couldn't help thinking about her promise. Could she really be trusted to leave the Master Emerald alone while he was gone?

The crimson echidna sighed. "Maybe I should just cancel the day out with the gang." he said, though quickly after he shook his head furiously. "No. There is no way I'm letting that crazy bat ruin my day. If she so much as comes near the Master Emerald while I'm gone, she'll be sorry!"

"Who are you talking to?"

Knuckles quickly turned around, fist raised, only to be met with the signature smile of a certain cobalt blue hedgehog. The echidna quickly lowered his fists as a smile spread across his face.

_'Finally. A visitor I actually want to see.'_

"What took you so long, Sonic?" asked the smiling guardian. The blue hero shrugged.

"Well, today is supposed to be your day off, so I figured I'd give you a little bit longer to relax before I got here. Though from your greeting, I guess I should have given you more time." The blue hedgehog cocked an eyebrow. "So, ya gonna answer my question?"

"Question?"

"About who you were talking to? Or is all the stress of staying in one place for so long finally going to your head?"

The echidna's smile disappeared as he waved his hand to the side as if swatting away a bad memory. "It's nothing. Just a visit from that crazy jewel theif."

"Rouge was here?" asked Sonic, his interest now officially peaked.

"Unfortunately."

"So, what did she say?"

"Just her usual nonsense, that's all."

Sonic smiled. "Well, there's plenty of time for nonsense later. Right now, we have to get going. Don't wanna be late for dinner."

Knuckles smiled as he and his blue friend started to make their way down the stairs of the alter. It only took about a minute of walking for the X Tornado to come into site, an eager Tails waving at the duo.

"Come on!" said the two tailed fox. "We're gonna be late!"

"We would have been here sooner if Knuckles hadn't been spending so much time with his girlfriend!"

Knuckles promptly tripped over his own two feet at the unexpected comment. He quickly got up, his face filled with rage and a good helping of blush. "SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"Whatever you say." said Sonic as Tails snickered from the plane.

* * *

><p>"Cream, dear, have you set the plates out yet?"<p>

"Yes, Mama."

"Has the silverwear been set out?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Have you washed your hands?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Has Cheese?"

"Choa Choa!"

Vanilla smiled as she made her way from the kitchen to the dining room. Cream was just placing a bright yellow daisy in a vase on the center of the table as Cheese was laying out napkins.

"My my." said Vanilla. "What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful daughter?"

"Oh, Mama." Cream smiled up at her mother, happy for the compliment. Vanilla smiled back as she embraced her daughter in a big hug. The young rabbit looked up into her mother's eyes with a big smile.

"How long do you think it will be until everyone arrives?"

Vanilla thought for a moment. "Well, if I know your friends, I'd say they'll be here right around the same time the carrot cake gets done." There was a ding from an egg timer in the kitchen, followed quickly by a knocking at the door. The mother and daughter looked at each other before bursting into laughter. Vanilla left to tend to the kitchen while Cream ran to the door.

"Who is it?" asked Cream. Her Mama had always taught her to ask before opening the door.

"Demolition crew." answered a voice from outside.

"Demolition crew?" asked the yellow rabbit, confused.

"Yeah." said the voice. "We heard that you had a dinner that needed to be demolished, so we rushed right over."

Cream laughed as she opened the door to be greater by the smiling faces of Sonic and Tails.

"Hey Cream!" said Tails.

"Hi Tails! Hi Sonic!" Cream beamed brightly at the both before she started looking around. "Where's Knuckles? I thought he was coming with you." The two brothers smiled at each other before each moved to the side to reveal a frowning red echidna behind them.

"Oh, there you are Knuckles! I was worried that..." Cream had to step to the side as Knuckles walked past her without so much as a sound. The yellow rabbit stared after her, before turning back to the door.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Don't worry about ol sour puss." said Sonic. "He's just mad because we've been giving him a hard time about his girlfriend."

"Rouge is not my girlfriend!" came the shout from somewhere behind Cream. The rabbit glanced briefly backwards before placing her hands firmly on her hips.

"Well, no more of that." she said with all the authority she could muster. "This is supposed to be a relaxing day for us to spend together, and I don't want anyone making fun of anyone."

"Okay, okay." said Tails, putting up his hand defensively with a smile. "No more making fun of Knuckles."

Upon hearing this, Cream's authoritative face quickly shifted to a bright smile. "Good. Now I'm gonna go get dinner." As the rabbit skipped lightly away. The two brothers walked into the cottage, taking seats on the yellow upholstered couch next to Knuckles, who quickly turned his head away.

"Okay, Knuckles, we get it." said Tails. "We're sorry. No more making fun of you until the day is over."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" asked the echidna warily.

"You don't." said Sonic, placing his hands behind his head. "But do you really think we'd be able to get away with it with Cream and Vanilla around?"

The crimson echidna smiled. "Good point."

"There, see? All better."

The trio smiled at each other as another knock came at the door. Tails eyed the door quizzically.

"I wonder who that could be."

"Oh, Cream!" came a sweet, energetic voice from the other side of the door. "I brought the hor d'oeuvres!"

"Three guesses." said Knuckles as he smiled mischievously at his cobalt blue friend who was currently staring at the door nervously.

"Remember, same rules apply to you that apply to us." said the hedgehog quickly.

"Oh, I don't have to say anything." said Knuckles. "Well, anything except, COME IN!"

Sonic's eye practically bulged from his head as he stared at the audacious echidna. He turned to his bro with a pleading look in his eyes, but the only response he got from the two tailed fox was a shrug and a smile as if to say "You're on you're own."

The door swung open gently as a pink quilled hedgehog strode in carrying a basket with a blanket draped over the top. "They're one of my favorite dishes. I made..." The girl stopped short with her hand half way in the basket as soon as her eyes locked on the blue hedgehog across the room. The two stared at each other across the room, Sonic's expression something akin to terror and the female hedgehogs expression an unreadable smile. The air was tense, completely devoid of sound except for the occasional snicker that Knuckles was unable to hold back.

Sonic's eyes darted back and forth. He started to make a move to run, when three long, sharp objects embedded themselves mere inches from the end of his nose. His eye quickly shot to the pink hedgehog who was currently holding three more of the objects in her hand.

"Fruit kabobs with my special yogurt dip." finished the hedgehog smiling, her eyes focused on the blue hedgehog across the room. "Hello, Sonic."

The cobalt hero gulped nervously. "H-hi Amy. W-what's up?"

"You weren't thinking about running away before our group day of fun even started, were you?"

"N-no, Amy, I was just." The blue hedgehog turned to run in the opposite direction, yet had to quickly back peddle as more fruit kabobs impaled the wall in front of him. The hedgehog jumped off the couch, and started running forward with top speed across the room, a line of sharp kabobs tracing his path as he desperately tried to escape. With a final lung the hedgehog made it to a window, shoving the frame upwards, and using it to swing feet first out into the garden, three sharp fruit kabobs impaling the window sill mere inches from where the top of his cobalt quilled head had just been.

Amy stared after the male hedgehog seething with unveiled anger. "WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO RUN AWAY?"

Slowly Knuckles and Tails lowered the posh pillows they had been using as shields from the rain of pointy appetizers, each wary just in case the pink hedgehog decided to try impaling something other than the wall.

"D-don't worry, Amy." said Tails, smiling nervously. "I'm sure he'll be back by the time the food's ready, r-right Knuckles."

The fox turned to see Knuckles removing a piece of fruit from the end of one of the wall kabobs, popping it lightly into his mouth.

"Hey, this isn't half bad." said the echidna. "Do you think I could get some dip?"

"YOU ARE THE DIP YOU DREADLOCK WEARING CREEP!"

The crimson guardian was sent tumbling backwards over the couch as a bowl of dip smashed directly into his head. Tail's quickly dropped his pillow to catch the delicious projectile, fumbling for a second before finally succeeding in preventing the contents of the bowl from spilling all over Vanilla's couch.

A moment after Cream walked into the living room, smiling. "Is everyone ready for dinner?" The yellow rabbit stopped short, her eyes going from the kabobs currently impaling the wall to the unconscious Knuckles laying behind the couch to the furious Amy still burning with rage near the door. The rabbit smiled nervously.

"Well, I see the appetizers are already served."

* * *

><p>Luckily for all parties involved, Sonic had indeed come back once all the food had been set out. Knuckles for one was glad. If Sonic hadn't come back Amy probably would have been going ballistic over him the entire time they were eating. If there was one thing that could ruin a gourmet meal from Vanilla, it was an angry female hedgehog with a hammer.<p>

Knuckles hissed as a small bag of ice was placed lightly on top of his head.

"Sorry." said Tails as Knuckles reached up to hold the bag in place. The bowl of dip had left a small lump right on top of his head, and the coolness of the ice somewhat helped to ease the soreness.

"I'm so glad you decided to come back, Sonic." said Amy smiling as she tried to scoot her chair closer to his.

"W-well, what can I say?" said Sonic, subtly trying to scoot away.

"It really has been too long since we all got together like this." said the female hedgehog as she once more scooted closer to him.

"You can say that again." said Tails. The fox utter a brief prayer of thanks before digging into the roasted carrots set on the table, with everyone else following suit. Knuckles was always impressed by how many ways Vanilla had to prepare carrots. Roasted, steamed, stuffed, baked, carrot burgers, carrot dogs, carrot cake, she pretty much could make a carrot into anything you could think of. Of course, carrots weren't the only thing on the table, but they did seem to dominate the menu.

Knuckles helped himself to an extra large slice of stuffed carrot while Sonic grabbed a carrot dog, adding some of Vanilla's home made garden chili on top. He quickly wolfed the entire thing down in one bite, chewing for just a second before swallowing.

"Five stars." said Sonic, giving his signature thumbs up.

"Oh, you're too kind." said Vanilla.

"I say he's not kind enough." said Knuckles, ravenously working his way though a piece of carrot steak and orange mashed potatoes. The first time Knuckles had eaten at Vanilla's everyone had laughed when he asked what made the potatoes orange, and Knuckles had to admit that he felt more than a little silly afterwords. "I'd say ten stars easy!"

"I thought the scale only went to five." said Tails innocently, his knife busy at work as he tried to slice of the end of a roasted carrot that was about the size of his head.

"Knuckles is just being sweet." said Vanilla, laughing lightly as the group went about dinning on her special feast. It always did her heart good to see everyone happily eating her cooking. She turned to her daughter, who was helping herself to a piece of carrot loaf. The young rabbit smiled before turning to the rest of the group.

"After lunch, we're all going to go pick flowers, right?"

"Of course." said Amy. "We're always willing to help you with your flower crowns, right everyone?"

"For sure." said Sonic giving a thumbs up.

"Oh, how nice of you all." said Vanilla. "Now, who wants some of my famous secret recipe carrot cake?" The older rabbit was immediately met with a chorus of enthusiastic replies, once again making the older rabbit chuckle.

* * *

><p>"Look at these!"<p>

Cream turned her head to see Amy running towards her with a bouquet of bright pink flowers.

"How wonderful." said Cream, smiling. "These will go great with the daisies."

"What about these?" asked Tails.

"Those are baby's breath." said the rabbit. "They're used a lot in wedding bouquets."

"Which means I'll be taking those." Amy quickly swiped the flowers from Tails, before looking wistfully into the sky. "I wonder if these will be in my bouquet when Sonic and I finally get married."

Tails laughed nervously. "Y-you never know."

A distance away Knuckles smiled at a less than happy looking Sonic. "Not a word." said the cobalt hedgehog.

"I wasn't going to say anything." said a smiling echidna, seeming to be paying more attention to the flowers.

"I mean it."

"Do you think these flowers would make a good crown?"

"Stop smiling!"

"I'm not actually sure if they'd go well with my coloring though."

Sonic silently fumed off to the side at the still smiling echidna.

"Howdy Ho~!"

Everyone turned to see a group of adult humans and anthros walking towards them, all wearing matching white T-shirts with big smiling suns on them.

"Who are they?" asked Knuckles.

"We." said a tall, smiling, male human with brown hair wearing a pair of white pants and shoes along with his T-shirt. "Are troupe 32 of the Shimmer Brigade!"

The crimson echidna simply stared.

"They're a group of volunteers who help out with the Bright Corps charity organizations who come around planting flowers and cleaning up Mystic Ruins." explained Amy with a smile. "They've been coming around for about a month, not that you would know being up on your little floating island so much."

"Mystic Ruins is a valuable part of what makes our world so super keen." said the one in the lead. "We all need to do our best to keep it clean and help beautify the environment. It is for the good of the world that we clean and plant each and every day!"

"Kinda dramatic aren't they?"

"You get used to it." said Sonic, waving it aside. "So, what you guys doing her today?"

"Same as always." chirped an anthropomorphic canary, wearing a big white sunhat and a ruffled white skirt along with her Shimmer Brigade T-shirt. "Planting flowers to help make Mystic Ruins a more beautiful place."

"It's always wonderful to have more flowers, isn't that right Cream?" Amy turned to see Cream, smiling in a weird fashion.

"Of course." said the rabbit, scratching the side of her face lightly. Amy stared at the weird reaction for a moment before brushing it aside.

"Oh, by the way, Sonic." The blue hedgehog turned to the human male in the lead as he produced a box from his pocket. "This is a present that from us to you."

"Well, gee, thanks." The hero took the box, opening it with a smile. Inside was a bracelet made of beautiful green stones with half of a big, smiling sun hanging from either end. The hedgehog stared at it with a confused expression. "I'm not usually one for jewelry..."

"Oh, it's not just some piece of jewelry." said the man smiling. "It's the latest product from Shimmer Labs. The jewels on the bracelet are scientifically designed to react whenever a Chaos Emerald is near. We knew how you guys sometimes have a hard time finding them, so we decided to help you out as a token of our appreciation for everything you do." The man sniffed starting to tear up. "You help us out so much Sonic. Whenever there's danger, it's always you who come to our rescue. Thrusting yourself into danger time and time again. Saving us from disaster. You're the greatest hero ever!"

The man and his group all suddenly burst out crying from the sheer emotion they felt towards the blue hedgehog. Knuckles simply sulked off to the side. "He's not that great." said the echidna.

"Jealous?" asked Sonic, waving the bracelet back in forth through the air as he taunted his friend. The rest of the group snickered

"Of course not." said the echinda, turning his nose up. "I'm sure you'd look lovely in your new piece of jewelry, and maybe later you can go shopping for a matching purse."

"It may not be my style, but if it helps in finding chaos emeralds, then I'll be glad to wear it."

"Really?" asked the sniffling man.

"Sure." Said the cobalt hero giving his signature thumbs up. "This will really help us out a lot." The man started tearing up again.

"I'm just so glad we could help, even if it was just delivering the gift to you. We're such big fans!" Once more the group started to cry from the overflow of emotions, making Knuckles grind his teeth. Tails snickered off to the side as he watched the crimson guardian's reaction.

"So," asked the hedgehog, "How do I get this thing on. Is there a clasp?"

The man whipped his eye right quick, and walked over to the hedgehog, kneeling down. "According to the Shimmer Labs people, when the two halves of the sun meet, they bond together, and are almost impossible to separate. They knew how much you run and how hard some of your fights are, so they tried to make the bracelet as indestructible as possible. That way, you'll never loose it and no one can ever steal it from you."

"That's awesome!" said the hedgehog as he held out his wrist. The man wrapped the bracelet around it, pushing the two sun halves together. Immediately a green glow issued from the sun, and when it disappeared the two halves were one seamless whole. "Perfect fit."

"We're so glad you liked it." said the man, started to sniffle up once more.

"Okay. Okay. No more crying." said Knuckles waving his arms. "We've all heard enough of Sonic's accolades for the day, or a life time. Besides, don't you people have flowers to plant or whatever?"

"Be nice Knuckles." said Amy, waving a finger. "There's no use in taking it out on them just because you're jealous."

"I am not jealous!" yelled the echidna.

"He is right though." said the man. "We really do have to be back to work. Those flowers don't plant themselves." The man raised an arm into the air. "Shimmer Brigade, mooooooove out!" As one the group turned around, and started marching back the way they had come, singing a cheerful song the entire way. Knuckles huffed.

"Good riddance. Bunch of annoying..." As the echidna quietly muttered to himself, Amy and Cream couldn't help but chuckles behind his back.

* * *

><p>"Oh, come on Knuckles."<p>

"I'm fine."

"It's okay if you're jealous of Sonic."

"I am not jealous!"

"I mean he has saved the world countless times, not to mention..."

"CAN WE JUST DROP IT?"

Amy laughed at the infuriated echidna standing on the left wing of the Tornado II. She, much to her delight was, was standing on the right wing, with Cream, Cheese, and Tails actually sitting inside cockpit.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather sit inside Amy?" asked Sonic, unable to actually move any distance away from the female hedgehog due to the small space they were both currently standing on.

"Don't be silly, Sonic. I'd much rather be out here with you. Besides, the Tornado II only has two seats anyways.

"She's got a point." said Tails, rubbing the back of his head shyly. "I really should fix that. I'll get right on that as soon as we get to where we're going."

"We _are_ we going?" asked Amy.

"It's a surprise."

"I love surprises." said Cream, smiling.

"Chou Chou!" cried an excited Cheese in agreement.

"So, how long until we get there?" asked Knuckles.

"We should be arriving any minute now."

"Take as long as you want." said Amy, wrapping her arms around a nervous looking Sonic. Knuckles smirked at the blue hedgehog, who shook his head reminding them of the mutual agreement.

It was still a few minutes of flying over the mountains before they finally landed. After landing Cream immediately hoped out of the plane, looking around with a huge smile on her face. They were inside a huge crater on top of one of the mountains, and right in the middle of the basin was a huge sparkling lake. Lush emerald grass spread out from the lake filling the rest of the basin with trees, flowers, and other plant life scattered across the are.

"It's so pretty!" yelled the yellow rabbit.

"I've never been here before." said Sonic, hoping off the wing. "At least not the I remember anyways."

"I think you'd remember a place like this." said Amy, linking her arm through his.

Tails laughed a bit to himself, before exiting the cockpit. "I saw this place while flying the other day, and thought it would be a great place to visit."

"The lake looks like a great place for a swim." said Amy. "We should come here again when we actually have our swim suits."

"Guess I should have thought of that." said the twin tailed fox, once more rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't worry." said Cream. "We can still have lots of fun here!"

"Of course. Sonic and I could go for a romantic walk around the lake, isn't that right?" Amy turned only to notice that the blue hedgehog in question had somehow slipped out of her grip. She started looking around only to notice him already running his way around the edge of the lake.

"I said a romantic slow walk together, not a marathon sprint by yourself!" Amy immediately started running after the her beloved, causing the remaining members of the group to snicker. Cream turned to Tails, who was fishing for something in one of the Tornado II's compartments. "Wanna go play in the lake together? We could wade in the water and look for fish."

"Sorry, Cream," said Tails as he found his tool box. "But I really want to start working on the modifications to add extra seats to the Tornado II, plus there are a couple other modifications I really wanna start on. Maybe later."

A look of disappointment and sadness crossed the yellow rabbit's face as she watched the twin tailed fox get to work on fixing his plane.

"Okay." she said softly, though her words didn't seem to reach the young fox's ears.

"Chou chou!"

Cream turned to the side, and smiled at her choa companion, and the two quickly ran off to go play in the lake together.

Knuckles plopped down on the soft grass, leaning against a nearby tree with his hands behind his head. He watched Amy continually chase Sonic around the lake, not having much luck at all. His eye flickered briefly to Tails working on the ship, and then moved over to see a barefoot Cream splashing in the lake with Cheese. He sighed, contentedly, as he relaxed. Despite a few annoying aspects, the day had gone pretty well.

As pondered taking a nap, his thoughts drifted back to the Master Emerald. As much as he enjoyed the time off, he still found himself wanting to get back to protecting his charge. Being away for too long always made him nervous, and, despite her promises, he was still worried that Rouge would try to steal it while he was away.

"It would be just like that crazy bat." mumbled the echidna as he closed his eyes. As he slowly started to drift off to slumber he replayed the events of that morning in his head. Briefly he recalled her mentioning that she had bigger plans for the day, and just for a moment he wondered what exactly the plans she was talking about were.

* * *

><p>The Tornado II landed back on the lush grass of Angel Island just as the moon started to rise into the sky. Amy and Cream had already been dropped off, so this was the last stop before Sonic and Tails could go home. Knuckles hopped off the plane without so much as a word, and immediately started towards the alter. The two brothers looked at each other briefly before exiting the craft to follow.<p>

"What's the rush?" asked Sonic, quickly catching up.

"Yeah, why are you in such a hurry."

"Because I want to make sure that crazy bat hasn't made off with the Master Emerald." said Knuckles, speeding up a bit as the alter came in sight. The two brother behind him smiled at each other.

"Are you sure you're just not in a hurry to see her, instead of just the Emerald?" asked Sonic.

Knuckles glared back at the hedgehog. "I thought we had a deal."

"Take a look at the moon, buddy." said the hedgehog, smiling. "Day's over, which means all bets are off."

"Well, then why don't we talk about you and Amy, then? She seemed to be awfully insistent about getting close to you today."

"Because, the relationship between you and Rouge is much more interesting."

"What relationship? The only relationship we have is the relationship of her trying to steal the Master Emerald and me trying to stop her."

"Are you sure there isn't more?" asked Sonic.

"She does seem to flirt with you a lot." said Tails snickering as they started to ascend the steps to the alter. "Why would she do that if she didn't like you?"

"Because she's crazy, that's why!"

"Crazy in love." said Sonic, causing Tails to snicker.

That was it. That was the final straw. Knuckle turned around on the steps of the alter, his face filled with rage. "Listen here!" shouted the echidna, immediately putting a cease to Tail's snickering. "There is not, nor will there EVER be anything another than annoyance between me and that crazy bat! She is greedy, selfish, manipulative, and, let's not forget, a thief! I don't trust her as far as I could throw her, so if you think even for a second that I would ever be interested in having a relationship with that bat, then you are battier than she is! GOT IT?"

Sonic and Tails stared at the echidna, more in shock than anything else. They really hadn't expected him to get this upset. It was just some light teasing. They teased each other all the time. It was what they did, though he had never gotten this upset before.

Tails was just about to say something, when a gust of wind came from behind Knuckles, hitting the hedgehog and fox in the face and causing them to close their eyes for a moment. The trio looked up towards the alter, and saw a dark figure flying away into the night, large black wings silhouetted against the silver moon. The trio stared for a while, somewhat in shock, before Knuckle's eye widened.

"The Master Emerald!"

The echidna quickly sprinted the remaining steps to the top of the alter, praying that it wasn't gone. He got to the top and paused, his labored breathing slowly calming down as he saw the familiar green glow of the emerald was still present, right where it had been when he had left. The echidna walked over to inspect the emerald, making sure it was truly okay, while Tails and Sonic stood watching from the top of the stairs. After a slow and careful inspection, the echidna finally stepped away satisfied that everything was as it should be. Tails said nothing for a long moment, not wanting to aggravate the situation any further. Eventually though, the young fox mustered his courage and spoke.

"Do you think she heard us?"

"I think it's pretty obvious that she heard us." said the blue hedgehog beside him.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter." said Knuckles, crossing his arms.

"But what if she's upset?"

"Doesn't matter to me."

"That's pretty cold." said Sonic.

"Well, if you hadn't been poking fun at me, she never would have heard anything, now would she?" Both Sonic and Tails looked down in shame.

"Maybe we should go apologize." suggested Tails.

"Nah, just forget about. She's probably laughing about it right now, plotting how she can use it to tease me later."

"But what if..."

"Rouge has broken into museums and taken on Eggman's robots probably without even breaking a sweat. Do you really think she'd get offended that easily?"

Tails looked uncertain for a moment. "I guess you're right."

"I am right." said Knuckle before yawning loudly. "Anyways, I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to hit the hay." The crimson echidna stretched a bit before plopping down on the grass beside the Master Emerald. Sonic and Tails stared at him for a second.

"Okay, I guess." said Sonic as he and Tails turned to leave.

"Good night Knuckles."

The guardian didn't reply, simply staring at the stares as the two brother left to find their way back to the Tornado II. Knuckles stayed awake for a long time simply staring at the sky.

_'She wouldn't get offended by something like that. She's too tough for that.'_ thought Knuckles. _'Still, maybe I should apologize...'_

The crimson guardian shook his head, frowning. "What does it matter whether she's upset or not. No skin off my back. Lousy thief." The echidna once again closed his eyes, though it would still be hours before sleep finally came.

* * *

><p>The rest of the week passed without event. There was no sign of Rouge, but then again it wasn't like she had a regular habit of stopping by anyways. Still, for some reason it worried him that she hadn't come by to confront him about his outburst. He kept thinking about that night, trying to figure out what she was doing at the alter in the first place. He had checked the Master Emerald over countless times as well as the rest of his house, trying to figure out if she had taken anything from there. As time passed, he started to grow more and more antsy, almost to the point of being paranoid. He expected the ivory bat to swoop in at any moment to take her vengeance on him with a swift kick or a full scale mocking. Several times he jumped to his feet with fists raised, only to find it was nothing more than a bird, coming to search the grass near the Master Emerald for any delicious insects that might be hiding within.<p>

After a week the echidna started having doubts about his earlier assertions. What if he had actually hurt her? The two had called each other names and fought countless times without either of them taking real offense, but what if...

Knuckles shook his head. He just couldn't fathom the tough as nails bat actually being hurt by anything he said. Granted that his words that night were definitely harsher than their average insults. Maybe quit a bit harsher, but still, she couldn't be offended by something as small as that, right?

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" The red echidna screamed as he pulled on his dreadlocks in frustration. "Even when she's not around, that girl drives me batty!"

"Knuckles the Echidna."

Knuckles opened his eyes, turning in surprise to see two men in suits with yellow daisies sticking out of their lapels.

"Yes?" asked the red echidna.

"We'd like to have a word with you."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hey everyone. Sorry for the super long update. A lot has happened. I'd like to take the time to dedicate this chapter to my Papaw (my name for my grandpa), who passed away while I was writing this. I was just taking a small break in writing, stepping away from my computer to take care of our puppy for a sec when we got the call. I loved him so very much. When I was little he would always play games that me and my brother made up, even when he didn't really understand what was going on. He encouraged all our creative ventures. Both of us were really close to him, and him passing away hit us both pretty hard. But he's better off now. He had been afflicted with prostate cancer for three months before he passed away, and he was hurting really badly, but now he's in Heaven, so no more pain for him! Papaw, if you can read fan fiction from Heaven, this one is all for you!<strong>

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was tons of fun to write. Let me know what you think if you get a chance. Until next time! ^^**


	3. Investigation

**Chapter 3: Investigation**

"So, what's this all about?"

The guardian and the two men were all seated on the grass in front of the Master Emerald. Each man had a briefcase held in their laps. They had been silent for quit some time. At the echidna's voice, the two agents turned towards each other, the light glinting off their sunglasses, before the first opened his briefcase.

"We." said the man on the right. "Are representatives of Bright Corps, here due to a legal matter that has arisen at our company. I am Agent John, and this is Agent Smith."

Knuckles simply cocked an eyebrow as Agent John continued.

"There was recently a break in at the Bright Corps main building. A large amount of expensive and highly sophisticated computer hardware was blatantly destroyed. We were lucky to have the files on the computers backed up elsewhere, but still repairing the damage done will cost a lot of money."

"That's really nice and all, but what's this got to do with me?"

The two agents looked at each other once more before turning to the echidna. "We have several eye witness accounts of the person who destroyed the equipment fleeing the scene of the crime, as well as a card that was left by the intruder themselves."

"So, why don't you go and catch this guy all ready?" The echidna stared at the two agitatedly for a moment, watching once again as the agents looked at each other in unison. Briefly he wondered if they practiced this sort of thing for effect or if they just had some kind of strange brain connection going on.

"The matter is complicated." said Agent John.

"See for yourself." Agent Smith withdrew what looked to be a series of black and white photographs from within his briefcase, handing them to the echidna. Knuckles eyes grew wide as he looked upon the first picture.

"How could this be?" he said, almost to himself as he stared. The photograph depicted what looked like him, or at least another echidna, gliding through the air. The crimson guardian flipped through the other photographs, each depicting the same figure from different angles, though most of the pictures were just a bit hazy.

"As you can see." said Agent Smith. "All the photographs clearly show an echidna fleeing the scene of the crime. Naturally as the last echidna..."

"You think I did it." finished Knuckles, his face growing angry. "Well, I didn't do it, so tell that to your head honcho!"

"There's no need to worry yet." said Agent Smith. "The head of Bright Corps is skeptical that you would do something like this."

"We at Bright Corps are well aware of incidents similar to this happening with your friend Sonic," continued Agent John. "We remember well the incidents of mistaken identity that he has gone through thanks to look alikes such as one Shadow the Hedgehog."

"However," said Agent Smith. "Things are a bit different in your case since you are the last of your kind, thus mostly eliminating the chance of a look alike."

"The president of the company has delayed any legal action until we have more evidence to go on. He is very loathe to accuse an ally of someone as great as Sonic the Hedgehog of a crime this heinous."

"Wait." said Knuckles, rising to his feet, causing the two agents to cock an eyebrow in unison, something Knuckles normally would have found either impressive or freaky, but currently ignored.

"Are you telling me that the only reason he believes I'm innocent is because I'm friends with Sonic?"

The two agents once more glanced at each other in unison, though this time there was a bit of worry etched across their faces.

"We didn't mean any disrespect." stated Agent John. "We are aware that you have also done several heroic actions."

"It is just you have more of a record of being led astray by nefarious figures and violent displays of aggression."

"Rest assured you do have your own merits."

"We simply mentioned your alliance with Sonic because he is normally able to keep you in control, which is..."

"KEEP ME IN CONTROL?"

The two agents stumbles backwards in unison, looking nervously up at the echidna.

"Listen here! Sonic the Hedgehog does NOT control me, nor do I NEED him to control me! I am perfectly capable of controlling myself, GOT IT?"

The two agents stared for a moment in fear, before nodding, afraid to say or do anything to further enrage the crimson warrior before them. Briefly their eye flickered to the spiked fists which perfectly emphasized both his name and his violent disposition.

"We understand completely." said Agent John.

"We're sorry to have wasted your time." said Agent Smith.

"We hope you have a bright day."

The two agents quickly stood up, Agent Smith hurriedly trying to close his brief case as the two turned to dash away. As they started to run down the steps of the alter, a rectangular object fell from Agent Smith's briefcase, drifting lightly down upon the emerald grass. The echidna walked slowly over, picking up the object.

"What's this." he muttered to himself. The wind blew his dreadlocks lightly back and forth as he stared down upon the object, a card with a stylized image of an echidna giving a thumbs up with the word "Thanks" written in blocky letters at the bottom.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure we should be here?"<p>

Sonic turned to his brother as he jumped down from the Tornado II.

"What do you mean?"

"Well," said Tails shyly. "It's just last time we saw Knuckles, he wasn't too happy with us. Especially after what happened with Rouge."

"Well we can't just stay away on the off chance he's mad at us." The cobalt hedgehog smiled. "If we did that then, considering his temper, we might never see him again."

Tails couldn't help but giggle. "I guess you're right."

"Besides, we have to make sure Knucklehead is okay."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if he was right about Rouge plotting her revenge, then for all we know he could be lying up there with a heart shaped boot print right on his forehead." Sonic tapped the center of his forehead for emphasis, causing Tails to laugh once more.

"Or maybe Rouge came back later and teased him until his head exploded." suggested Tails with a snicker.

"Would have been a pretty small explosion." said Sonic. "Not much fuel up there, if you know what I mean."

The two burst once more into a fit of laughter. It took them a couple minutes to calm down.

"But seriosly." said Sonic. "We really should make sure he's okay."

"Yeah." agreed Tails as the two started to make their way across Angel Island towards the Alter. "He may be tough on the outside, but it is possible he still regrets what happened with Rouge." The fox's eyes took on a regretful expression, which his cobalt brother quickly noticed.

"What's the matter, little buddy?"

"I still think we need to go apologize to her." said the fox, rubbing his arm.

"Well, if we can manage to convince Knucklehead, then the three of us can go together."

"Really?" asked Tails, his eyes shining with hope.

"No doubt." The cobalt hedgehog gave his signature thumbs up, which immediately put the two tailed fox at ease. As they continued to walk onwards, they heard the sound of rapid footsteps coming towards them.

"Sounds like someone's coming." said Sonic.

"Who else would come all the way up here?"

"I don't know." said the hedgehog, his brow furrowing. Making a quick decision the hedgehog darted over into the foliage the lined the path to the alter, dragging Tails behind him. The fox quickly realized what they doing, and ducked low plant life to avoid being seen. After just a moment, two men wearing black suits and sunglasses ran down the path, yellow petals from the flowers on their chests occasionally drifting behind them as they ran. The pair stopped to catch their breath a small distance away from where the fox and hedgehog were hiding.

"I...didn't...expect...him...to..."

"Me...neither..."

The two men stood panting for a long time before they were eventually able to speak clearly.

"His reaction to our mention of Sonic was very strange." said the first man.

"Then again, I can see how our words could have been misconstrued."

"How so?" asked the first man, raising an eyebrow as he attempted to straighten his suit out.

"Well." said the second. "He might have thought we were saying Sonic was superior too him."

"Do you think it's possible he's jealous of Sonic?"

"I'm not certain." said the first, holding his chin between his pointer finger and thumb. "Though, if I remember correctly, the Shimmer Brigade did just recently present Sonic with the new prototype bracelet."

Sonic looked down at his bracelet quickly before looking back up towards the pair.

"Do you think it's possible that's what sparked him to attack the Main Building."

"Now now Agent Smith, we still don't know if he did it or not." The man looked pensive. "Though, if he did do it, it's possible that jealousy could be the cause."

The was a long moment of silence between the two men.

"So, what should we do now, Agent John?"

"There's nothing much we can do." said the man apparently named Agent John. "All we can do at this point is report back to headquarters."

"Should we tell them about our suspicions?"

Agent John looked pensive for a moment. "No, let's hold off on that. There's no need to arouse suspicion against him without further information. We'll just report that we delivered the message, and that he proclaimed his innocence."

"Understood."

The two nodded in unison before adjusting the bright yellow flowers upon their chests. As they walked away, towards the edge of the island, Sonic and Tails slowly made their way out from behind the foliage.

"What do you think that was about?" asked the twin tailed fox.

"I don't know." said the cobalt hedgehog, his eyes lingering on the backs on the suited men. "But I know one thing for certain. Visiting Knuckles today was definitely a good idea."

* * *

><p>"Here's your coffee ma'am."<p>

"Thank you."

The ivory bat lifted her cup up to her nose, inhaling the sweet aroma. It was full and rich, dark as nightfall. A single slice of strawberry was wedged on the side of the cup, the juices from the sweet fruit flowing down into the dark fluids below, adding just the lightest touch of sweet to the bitter blend. The ivory bat lifted the cup to her mouth, taking a single sip. The dark liquids flowed over her tongue where she let them rest to absorb the full impact of the flavors. The bat swallowed as a smile played across her face.

"Delicious."

The wind blew lightly, causing the scent of roses to flow through the air around her table. Rouge was seated outside of the Red Rose Cafe in upper Central City. The restaurant was known as one of the best places to get coffee in the entire city. Able to cater to every taste with their massive variety of flavors and blends, or at least that's what they claimed.

However, that wasn't what brought Rouge here. The ivory haired thief smiled as she looked across the street to the true reason she'd chosen this particular spot. Barbed wire surrounded a tall, round roofed building sitting almost directly across from the cafe. A giant image of a shining light bulb rested on the front of the building's cyan colored, steel paneling, and a large, cheerful looking sign sat directly in front of the barbed wire declaring the building's name.

"Shimmer Labs." said Rouge, almost seeming to savor the word. Her latest target. As she watched the building a light beeping came from her bag, causing her smile to widen. She reached a single gloved hand into her bag to turn off the alarm, and pulled out a large pink sun hat and her heart shaped sunglasses.

"Show time." The ivory haired bat laughed as she slipped on her garb. She turned back to her coffee as a barely audible beep sounded from across the street. A glasses wearing tiger exited through the gates with a stack of papers clutched tightly to his chest. A white lab coat flapped lightly around him as he made his way across the street towards the cafe. Rouge pretended not to notice him as his white shoes padded lightly across the bricks underfoot, leading him to a seat a couple tables away under the white awning above. The tiger sat down with a sigh, adjusting his glasses as the waiter walked over to him with a smile.

"Busy day?" asked the waiter, a purple haired lynx in an elegant black vest.

The tiger sighed as he adjusted his glasses. "It's always a busy day."

"I'll give you some time to think." said the lynx, walking away as the tiger adjusted the papers on the table. The tiger quickly started to read over some of the papers before sighing as he put them down once more.

"Even when I'm off work the research never stops." He leaned back in his seat, staring up at the white awning above him. "Maybe I should consider a new career. Something with less beakers and more..." The scientist sighed once more. "More what exactly?" he asked himself. The tiger closed his eyes for a moment before a clink on the table drew him back into awareness. He straightened up in his seat to see the waiter in the vest setting down a cup of coffee before him.

"I haven't ordered yet."

"You didn't have to." said the lynx with a smile. "Our special extra light blend with extra cream, compliments of the lady in the sunglasses." The waiter walked away with a slight laugh as the tiger stared dumbly at the cup. He slowly started to look around before his eyes landed on a certain ivory haired bat giving him a wave as she stared at him from behind her pink shades. The tiger quickly turned around, stiffening considerably. He stared down into his complimentary coffee as the fur around his face stared to turn as red as the near by roses.

_'She couldn't possibly have been waving at me.'_ he thought. _'It must have been someone else. The waiter made a mistake. You know how busy these places get. It was probably someone behind me, or a someone passing by. Maybe I just look like someone she knows. I just need to calm down. Calm down.'_

The tiger started to take a sip of the cream rich coffee.

"Hey there."

The tiger immediately started to choke in surprise as he quickly set his coffee down on the table. It took him a few moments to get himself under control before he turned around to stare up at the ivory haired bat standing behind him. She smiled at him, his fearful expression reflected back at him from the surface of her glasses. The bat reached a single hand down, resting it on his chin before lifting it to close his open mouth as she walked over to take a seat right beside him. She sat silently, staring at him as he fidgeted beneath her gaze. After a long moment of silence, he managed to gather up enough courage to speak.

"I-I think you have the wrong..."

"So, what's your name?"

The scientist faltered at the question for a moment. "C-carlos. Carlos the Tiger."

"Nice name." she said with a smile. His face reddened at her smile.

"I-I r-really think..."

"You're kinda cute...Carlos."

The scientist's face immediately turned beet red. He stared down into the coffee, unable to look at the bat before him. The scientist focused on his reflection in the cup, his green eyes staring back at him from behind his glasses. No one had ever referred to him as cute before. A ripple formed across the cup, blurring the image for just a second. When the image calmed once more, his nervous reflection was joined by that of the bat's. He looked up, and kicked back in shock at the now extremely close proximity of himself to the bat. His chair started to fall over backwards, the tiger's arms flailing wildly before a single strong hand shot forward, grabbing the front of his lab coat. He stopped suddenly half way between sitting up and falling to the ground, the bat's grip the only thing that was keeping him from hitting the sun warmed, brick floor. His face reddened even further as he couldn't help but look up at her from his precarious position.

The tiger tried to speak but found his mouth about as dry as desert sand. He swallowed hard, trying to get some moisture into his throat so words could form.

"C-c-could you p-please h-help m-me up?" he asked.

"What's the rush?" The bat pulled him up ever so slightly as she leaned down towards him, their faces only inches away. All hope of thought and speech were immediately stolen from the tiger. The proximity was too close. Things were too fast. He felt like his brain, which had for so long been his greatest tool, had simply shut down.

Rouge smiled at the tiger's reaction before she noticed something out of the very corner of her eye. Slowly she glanced to the side, the smile never leaving her face, to see one of the waitresses, a female leopard, glaring at her fiercely from inside the cafe, looking as if she would like nothing more than to throw hot coffee right into her face.

Rouge's smile could only widen as her eyes went back to the paralyzed tiger still held in her grip. She drew him so close that there was only an inch of distance between their faces. He gaped openly like a fish out of water, his eyes unable to look away. She held them there for only a moment before sighing, leaning backwards as she pulled the tiger's chair back up to the sitting position.

"Oh, well. If you really don't want me around." The bat shrugged, her hands held out in a sign of defeat. She hopped off the table and started to slowly walk away from the table leaving the tiger sitting there with absolutely no idea of what in the world had just happened. She walked back to her table, quickly finishing off her cup of coffee as the lynx waiter came over to her with a sly smile.

"Did everything go well with the sir?"

Rouge sighed as she handed him her empty cup. "Unfortunately, no."

"What do you mean?" The lynx looked at her, as she put on a look of depression.

"Apparently he already has someone he likes."

"He does?" asked the lynx in surprise. He looked over at the scientist. "He has long been a frequent customer of ours, but he has never mentioned anything about actually _liking_ anyone. At least not in that manner."

"Really?" asked Rouge in mock shocked. "I thought it was pretty clear that he has a thing for that waitress of yours."

"Maria?"

"The connection seemed obvious to me." said the ivory bat nodding before she sighed once more.

The lynx stared blankly for a moment before a sly smile worked its way across his face. He turned back to Rouge with a bow. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No, that will be all." said Rouge, smiling. "I must take my leave."

"Well, please, do feel free to come back any time." said the waiter as he rose, his eyes going directly over to the female leopard. "You're visit has been...interesting to say the least."

The ivory haired bat laughed as she started to walk away. As she walked away from the cafe, she briefly glanced back to see the lynx talking to the leopard. She looked a bit shocked before her feline features quickly took on a smile. She quickly grabbed a plate and cup of coffee before heading in the direction of the still tiger, who was just now coming out of his previous stupor.

The leopard smiled down at the tiger as he shook himself out of his stupor. "More coffee, Carlos?"

The tiger looked up at the waitress, before sighing. "I think I've had enough coffee for one day, Maria. I don't think my nerves can take caffeine after whatever that was."

"Well," said Maria, blushing. "I get off work at seven. There's this place I know that serves great tea, if you'd like to go together."

The tiger stared for a moment, not sure what was going on, before a light bulb suddenly seemed to go off in his head, causing him to blush as well. He looked down for a moment, thinking quickly. He had never thought of Maria like that. Sure, he had often seen her here when he came to get coffee, and they had talked about stuff and gotten to know each other, but still, did he really think of her in _that_ way? He thought for a moment before he briefly glanced at the winged back of the bat who had so assertively come up to him before. She hadn't held anything back, and, though Carlos wasn't about to start blatantly flirting with Maria, maybe it was time he took a bit of a chance.

"I-I'd like that, M-Maria."

"Great." said the leopard. "See you then."

Carlos watched as Maria dashed back into the cafe. He stared for a moment before once again leaning back in his seat to stare up at the white awning above. "That settles it. I am so quitting my job. Gotta find a job with less beakers and more..." He thought for a moment, his brow furrowing. "More what exactly?" He thought it over for a moment before smiling. "Less beakers, and more days like this. Good bye lab coat and I.D. Badge. Hello tea with Maria." He reached into the pocket of his lab coat before a curious expression crossed his face. He sat up once more before searching both his pockets, emptying them of their contents and eventually turning them inside out.

"Now where is my I.D. Badge?" he wondered to himself curiously. "And come to think of it, didn't I have a piece of strawberry bubble gum?"

* * *

><p><em>Pop<em>

Rouge licked her lips, pulling the gum back inside her mouth with a smile. "My favorite flavor." The thief looked down at the card displaying Carlos's image on the front, held between her middle and pointer fingers. She almost felt bad about taking advantage of him, but it would all be worth it if everything turned out the way she planned. Besides, pushing him and little miss glare in the right direction should more than pay for something as small as this.

"Just can't put a price on something like that." she said smiling. As she walked her gaze slowly started to become distant, her pace slowing somewhat amongst the busy bustle of the city streets. The bat shook her head, before slipping the card in her bag, picking up her pace once more. Now was not the time to get distracted. She had a mission, and nothing was going to get in her way.

* * *

><p>"Knuckles?"<p>

Sonic and Tails cautiously peered over the last few steps that led onto the grassy top of the Master Emerald Shrine. The echidna sat some distance away with his back turned to the Master Emerald. He was staring at something intently, though neither of the brother could actually make out what it was. The two started to walk closer, seeing if they could get a good look, but unfortunately the guardian finally registered their presence. He quickly shoved the object into his dreadlocks.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked the echidna, looking to be slightly annoyed, though his tone was more curious than aggressive.

"We just wanted to check on you." said Sonic. "Had to make sure Rouge hadn't come back to give you the boot."

"Haha. Very funny." said the echidna, though he couldn't help the smile that tugged on his face. "Well, you'll be happy to know the bat hasn't shown hide nor hair of herself for a week solid, and I, for one couldn't be happier."

"Doesn't that worry you?" asked Tails.

"What do you mean? Why should I be worried?"

"Well," began the fox sheepishly. "What if she really was hurt by what she overheard?"

"I already told you," said the echidna getting more agitated. "Rouge isn't the type of person to get hurt so easily."

"Then why hasn't she been back to confront you about it?" asked Tails.

The echidna faltered for a second, causing Tails to share a brief glance with Sonic. The crimson guardian looked down at his feet

"I told you, she's probably just waiting for the right time to strike." His words sounded weak, though he quickly shook his head, looking up at the two brothers with a renewed air of confidence around him. "In fact, not coming is probably part of her revenge. She _wants_ me to wonder when she's going to strike." The echidna clenched his fist, seeming to become convinced of his own words. "Yeah, she's probably just trying to psyche me out! Playing some kind of mind game so she can watch me squirm. She could be watching right now even!"

He turned around. "You hear that Rouge! I'm on to you, and it's not going to work! You might as well come out right now!" The trees rustled lightly in the wind, the only response to the echidna's bold claim. Sonic raised an eyebrow as he looked at Tails, using his finger to make a looping circle near the side of his head as he jerked a thumb at the echidna.

The crimson guardian turned back around, his stance and expression still portraying the utmost confidence. "Ah, well, she'll have to come out sometime."

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight." said Sonic, the two brothers facing the echidna with overly large smiles. The crimson guardian started at them with a questioning expression for a moment before quickly dismissing their strange behavior.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm parched. You guys want something to drink?"

"Suuuuuuuuure." said Tails. The echidna opened a hatch hidden beneath the grass which led down into the part of the shrine that functioned as his house. The two brothers waved at him as he descended, watching as he closed the hatch behind him.

After the door closed the two continued waving and smiling for a moment.

"Sonic."

"Yeah little buddy?"

"My cheeks are starting to hurt."

The two let out a sigh as they relaxed their faces. The two tailed fox quickly started massaging his cheeks.

"I don't think I could have kept that up much longer."

"I don't like to say it," said Sonic. "But I'm afraid ol' Knucklehead's lost it."

"I don't think it's that bad yet." said the fox, managing a small smile as his continued to massage his aching cheeks.

"You're probably right, but still, we'll have to be extra careful when we ask him about those guys."

Tails sighed, lowering his hands from his now relaxed face. "That's easier said than done."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," began the twin tailed fox. "Knuckles doesn't exactly have the best track record for staying calm when questioned about things like that."

Sonic smiled. "I don't think he's going to explode just because we ask him..."

"Ask me what?"

The two brothers yelped in fright as they turned around to see the echidna coming up from the hatch with three glasses of cold lemonade sitting on top of a metal platter. The two looked nervously at each other as if trying to decide who should be the one to ask. Eventually Tails decided to take the initiative.

"We were just wondering," began the twin tails fox. "If you knew anything about the pair of guys in black suits we saw when we were coming to check on you."

"Oh, those guys." The echidna's expression quickly grew sour as he started to hand out the lemonade. "Apparently someone broke into their fancy office building and smashed up some computers."

"But why would they think it was you?" asked Tails as he started to sip his lemonade.

Knuckles furrowed his brow. "How did you know they thought it was me?"

The fox froze mid sip, shocked at his blunder. "W-well, w-we just assumed..."

"We heard them talking on the way here." Tails turned to Sonic, who was staring unwaveringly at the echidna. The echidna stared back, fire burning from behind his eyes.

"So, do you think I did it?"

The two stared at each other for a long moment as if each one was trying to analyze the other. Eventually Sonic smiled. "Breaking into a big company sounds like a pretty high scale job, and personally I don't think a knucklehead like you could pull off something like that."

Knuckles smiled slightly as the fire slowly diminished from his eyes. "Glad to know I have such _trusting_ friends."

Tails sighed in relief as the tension started to ease. Wanting to move while the threat of physical violence was still low, the twin tailed fox started to speak once more.

"So, why did they think you did it anyways?"

The echidna's smile disappeared. "Apparently they have photos of someone who looks like me fleeing the scene of the crime."

"Think it might be one of Eggman's robots?" asked Sonic. "It wouldn't be the first time that he's made a mecha copy of one of us."

Knuckled held his chin in his hand for a moment. "That could be one possibility. It'd be just like him to try something like this."

"The question is," said Tails pondering. "Why would he want to make a mecha copy of you?"

The crimson guardian's eyes quickly lit up in a firey glare as he turned on the young fox. "What do you mean 'why would he want to make a mecha copy of me?'"

"Huh?" The fox looked at the echidna, baffled by the sudden display of ferocity.

"You think I'm not important enough to be targeted, is that it?"

"Hey, slow you're roll, Knucklehead." Sonic stood up, placing himself between the two. "He's just wondering why Eggman would want to frame you for something like this. No one's saying you're not important."

Knuckles turned around, crossing his arms. "Yeah, well, those suits seemed to think I wasn't too important. They seemed to have it in their heads that I need you to control me. Can you believe that?"

The two brother shared a glance as they recalled the agents' words.

"We overheard the agents talking after they left here." began Sonic slowly, trying to be as gentle as possible as he approached the subject. "They seemed to think you broke into the building because you were jealous of..."

"Jealous?" The echidna whirled around in anger to face the two brothers. "They think I'm jealous? Of what? You?"

"Well...yeah."

"Well, I'm NOT! I don't have any reason to be jealous, so you can get that thought right out of your thick..."

"We don't think that!"

The enraged echidna turned to Tails, who was doing his best to stand firmly, though his stance slowly started to decrease in confidence under the guardians fiery gaze. "We don't think you're jealous of Sonic. We were just repeating what the guys in the suits said."

There was a long moment of silence. Tails was eventually forced to look down under the pressure of the echidna's stare while Sonic stared unwaveringly at his face, trying to determine any hint of what was going on inside the echidna's head. Finally, Knuckles sighed, closing his eyes as the tension seemed to ebb from his shoulders.

"Sorry." he said, finally looking up again. "It's just this whole thing is completely ridiculous. First, Rouge, now this whole break in thing. It's just..." The echidna froze mid sentence, every muscle in his body tensing. His eyes drifted out of focus, as if he were staring at something far far away. The two brothers stared at him curiously, wondering if something was wrong with him.

"Knuckles?" Sonic tentatively started to reach towards him, but quickly retracted his hand as the echidna suddenly seemed to snap out of his reprise.

"Sorry, just spaced out for a moment." The echidna smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyways, enough of this break in stuff. Wha da ya say I fix us up some lunch?"

Sonic and Tails hesitated for a moment before smiling, glad to see their friend back to normal. "Sure." said Sonic. "What's on the menu?"

"My specialty. Fresh fruit, with lots of grapes!"

As the guardian went off to fetch the fruit, the brothers couldn't help but laugh. "Yep." said Tails. "He's definitely back to normal."

"Or whatever passes for normal for him." added Sonic, causing the two to burst into laughter once more.

* * *

><p>Footsteps echoed through the hallways of the Bright Corps main building. Agents John and Smith were in sync behind the most important person in the entire Bright Corps empire, the man who had started it all, Eugene S. Bright, president and founder of the entire multi-billion dollar company. The mogul himself was a somewhat short, light purple bulldog dressed in a modest suit with a large, gold pin in the shape of a smiling sun stuck to his chest and a cane topped with a large, yellow topaz in his right hand. He looked to be somewhat old, with kind, smiling features, making him appear to be more like a sweet old grandpa than the commanding official of a vast empire.<p>

Beside Mr. Bright stood his ever faithful aid, Jackson, a tall, black doberman dressed in a sharp suit with a similar pin as the president's stuck to his chest. A pair of glasses rested upon his muzzle, while a large planner and pencil were held in his hands in preparation for any type of scheduling or planning the president might need to make.

"I trust everything went okay with your visit to Angel Island?" asked Mr. Bright.

"Yes, sir." responded the two agents.

"Well? Don't keep me in suspense for too long." The president laughed gruffly, causing the two agents to smile.

"We are pleased to report that Knuckles the echidna plead innocent to breaking into the building."

"Splendid!" said the president smiling. "Never doubted him for a minute. You know, I always liked that echidna. Tough as nails, just like me. Did I ever tell you I used to be a boxer?"

"Shall I get the photos, sir?"

"Splendid idea Jackson! We'll have a montage in my office. We can even order lunch."

"If it's all the same, Mr. Bright," started Agent John.

"You've shown us the photos before." continued Agent Smith.

"Six times actually."

"Seven if you count the time the slid projector malfunctioned and flipped through the entire album before catching on fire."

Mr. Bright laughed heartily, while Jackson smiled beside him. "Guess I'm getting too repetitive for my own good." The old bulldog laughed a couple more times before he managed to finally calm himself down. "Well, now that we know Knuckles is innocent, we need to figure out a way to apologize for accusing him. I'm going to guess he didn't take to kindly to being told we thought him a thief, right?"

"No sir."

"He was quite upset."

The bulldog nodded. "Thought so."

"Perhaps," started Jackson. "We could send the Shimmer Brigade up to Angel Island to plant flowers. Mystic Ruins is our main target, but maybe if we expanded their field of work to include Angel Island, it might make Knuckles feel more appreciated as one of the residents of that general area instead of someone isolated from the rest of the community."

"Splendid idea Jackson! It's about time we showed Knuckles how much we truly appreciate his efforts. I want a hundred, no, five hundred flowers planted up there before he wakes up tomorrow morning. It'll be the surprise of a lifetime! Just imagine waking up to find yourself surrounded by a field of flowers!"

"We'll have to be careful." said Jackson. "If he sees the Shimmer Brigade ahead of time, the surprise will be ruined."

"True. Make sure all the members of the Shimmer Brigade are instructed to be extra stealthy."

"Yes, sir."

"Sir." said Agent Smith. "There's still the issue of the break in."

"What about it? Knuckles said he didn't do it, and I, for one, believe him."

"Yes, sir," Agent Smith paused for a moment. "But if he didn't do it, then that means someone is trying to frame him."

"Either that, or there's another echidna out there after all."

"This time it was Bright Corps," said Agent John. "but if the imposter, if imposter it truly is, attacks another company, they might not be as lenient as we are. Several of our rival companies are known for their more aggressive attitudes."

Mr. Bright looked pensive for a moment. "Yes, I suppose you're right, but how to prove he's innocent?" The bulldog thought for a moment, his chin held between his pointer finger and thumb. Suddenly a light seemed to go off in his head. "I've got it! We'll have some of our agents watch him. From what I know, Knuckles rarely ever leaves his position of guarding the Master Emerald. If this imposter tries another break in while Knuckles is firmly in our sites, then that will be proof he didn't do it."

"A brilliant plan, sir." said Jackson. "I'll make the arrangements right away."

"Excellent. Now, let's go get some lunch. I feel like something spicy today."

As Mr. Bright and Jackson moved ahead, Agents John and Smith began to lag behind.

"And if the agents discover Knuckles really is the criminal behind it all?" asked Agent John in a hushed whisper.

"We have no choice but to have him arrest."

The two nodded at each other before increasing their pace once more.

* * *

><p>"Bye Knuckles!"<p>

"Later Knucklehead!"

The crimson guardian smiled as he waved goodbye to two of his best friends. He watched them all the way until they disappeared amongst the foliage that lined the path back to where the Tornado II had been parked. The wind blew lightly through the air, causing the echidna's dreadlocks to swirl gently around his head as his smile slowly faded, turning to a more serious look. He reached into his dreadlocks, and pulled out the mysterious card of the smiling echidna. As he stared down at the card, his mind slowly drifted back in time.

* * *

><p><em>The moon shone brightly in the sky down upon the warriors atop the Master Emerald shrine. On one side stood an ivory haired thief, her slender body suit scuffed from the battle, and on the other side the guardian of the Master Emerald, his cheek swollen from one of the thief's kicks to the face.<em>

"_Why don't you just give it up?" asked Rouge, a smile etched across her face._

_Knuckles smiled in return, wincing somewhat as he did so from the injury on his face. "And lose to a jewel thief like you?"_

_The two glared fiercely at each other as the wind blew around them. They charged, cries of battle echoing through the night. The ivory haired bat's boot swung through the air, aiming to give the echidna a second swollen cheek to match the first, but the crimson guardian ducked underneath the arc of her attack, rising to uppercut the figure before him. Her wings spread, propelling her away from his punch, and over his head._

_The echidna turned around quickly, fists raised to defend himself. His eyes widened as something flew through the air, making a small cut in his cheek. He looked down at the ground to see a pink card with a figure silhouetted on the front, though the details were obscured somewhat by the darkness of the night. The guardian turned back to his opponent._

_His eyes shot wide as he saw the heart shaped boot quickly nearing his face. He moved quickly, grabbing the boot out of the air. With all his might he spun, swinging and then throwing the boot and the body attached to it. The owner of the boot flew backwards through the air, smacking hard into one of the nearby trees with a cry of pain before she fell to the ground. The bat winced before glaring up at the echidna, her hand moving to rub her sore rear end._

"_Fine! Be that way!" The bat slowly stood up before flapping her great black wings, wincing in pain as she did so. She quickly soared low over the grass of the alter, grabbing the card along the ground before flying once again into the air over the Master Emerald._

"_I'll let you have this round." she said, her glare burning with anger. "But next time I won't go so easy on you." The bat didn't wait for a reply as she turned in the air, and began her journey back towards the part of the city she called home. The echidna smiled in triumph as he watched her go, knowing he had performed his duty as guardian well in this night._

* * *

><p><em>'That night she used a card to distract me before she attacked.' <em>thought Knuckles pensively. _'It may be a long shot, but I think it's time I payed a visit to a certain bat.'_ The echidna raised his eyes over the jungles of Angel Island. Far beyond the borders of his home and even farther still past Mystic Ruins, was the home of one of his greatest rivals. If he wanted to see her and find out what she knew of the mysterious card, he'd have to go to a place few outsiders dared to go. It was time for him to visit the home of Rouge the Bat.

Night Babylon.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hi hi! Sparkling here, thank you all for reading yet another installment of Going Batty. Sorry about my update speed at this point. School work is really getting to me. I'm up way too late writing this as it is now. (And yes, I will regret the sleep I lost once I wake up in the morning for school.) Still, I thought you guys had waited long enough for an update, and simply had to get this out there. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Let me know what you guys think when you get a chance. Thanks!<strong>

**P.S. I've been forgetting to do this, so here goes. Sparkling_nexis137 does not own any of the characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, or anything else associated with the Franchise except this plot. I would however like to own a Sonic plushy, or maybe a Rouge plushy since she's one of the main focal character of this story. ^^**


	4. Invasive Action

**Chapter 4: Invasive Action**

The sound of heavy footsteps resounded through the metal hallways of the base. Agents John and Smith followed behind a large, extremely muscular rhino wearing a bright yellow military uniform. The rhino's muscular frame bulged against the cloth of his uniform while an angular pair of black sunglasses rested over his eyes. As the echoes of his footsteps resounded around him, the rhino thought back to the meeting that had led to this very moment.

* * *

><p>"<em>You asked to see me, sir?"<em>

_Mr. Bright smiled as the uniformed rhino entered into the company founder's office. The rhino briefly looked around the room, a single eyebrow raised. The entire place was decked out in sunshine themed furniture and artwork. A large sun shaped rug dominated the center of the floor, with chairs, couches, plants, and sunlamps positioned in an organized fashion around the walls of the room. Numerous brightly colored paintings were hung upon the walls, some realistic depictions of cheerful scenes such as puppies tossing a frizbee in the park while others were more abstract arrangements of brightly colored hues in rhythmic patterns and undulating shapes. Mr. Bright's desk sat in front of the large series of windows which made up the back wall of the room, letting the light from outside stream freely into his office._

"_I see your tastes in furniture are as...bright as ever." said the rhino in a deep voice. Mr. Bright laughed._

"_It's good to see you too, Captain." The rhino walked across the room, standing at attention in front of Mr. Bright's desk. "So, how have you been? Anything new?"_

"_With all due respect, sir." intoned the rhino. "I don't believe you asked me here for small talk."_

"_Need I remind you," said Jackson, standing beside Mr. Bright's chair. "That you are speaking to the person who pays your paycheck, Captain, and that it would be wise not to dismiss his words so easily."_

"_And need I remind you, secretary boy, that I have more important things to do for Mr. Bright that participate in idle chit chat." the rhino retorted angrily._

"_Now, now, settle down you two." said Mr. Bright smiling. "It probably is best to get to the point." The bulldog clasped his hands in front of him as he smiled. "You see, Captain, I need to ask you a little favor. I need someone strong and authoritative to lead a...special group of people on a top secret and very risky infiltration mission. I won't give you the details now, but just know this mission is a top priority for the company."_

"_What sorta of mission are we talking about?" asked the rhino, his interest clearly peaked._

"_Well..." began the bulldog, smiling a bit nervously._

"_You'll be leading a group of highly trained specialist on an infiltration mission deep into the jungles of Angel Island." said Jackson. "The specialists have already been told their duties, and are fully equipped to handle the task. All you have to do is get them in and out safely and make sure they aren't discovered before their mission is complete."_

"_Now that's what I'm talkin' bought." said the Captain, smashing one fist into the other. "It's been a while since I got some real action at this company."_

"_Remember." said Mr. Bright. "We want confrontation avoided at all costs. This must remain a stealth operation. Got it?"_

"_Sir, yes sir."_

"_Good. Agents' John and Smith will be meeting you at o' twenty hundred hours at the hanger to give you the details on you mission. Good luck Captain."_

_The rhino saluted, a grin of enthusiasm on his face, before he started to exit the office. As he turned he noticed Mr. Bright and Jackson share a secretive smile, though was quick to dismiss it. He had more important things to do, like prepare for his newest mission._

* * *

><p>"Are the troops prepared?" asked the rhino in a gruff voice.<p>

"Yes sir." said Agent John.

"They've been assembled just as you requested, sir. Now, about the details of your mission..."

"Later." interrupted the muscle bound figure. "We can talk about it after I address the troops."

"But sir, I..."

The rhino burst through a large metal door, his boots echoing ever louder as he marched his way straight into a large airplane hanger, leaving the Agents to stare onwards nervously from the door frame. Several black airplanes were positioned around the hanger, being prepped for take off, the sounds of their engines revving up pleasantly brushing against the rhino's ears, filling him with the thrill of battle already. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at his soon to be soldiers, though he avoided looking directly at them for now, a little trick he'd learned to help inspire respect from soldiers back in his days in the military.

"Soldiers." intoned the rhino in an authoritative voice as he slowed to a stop in front of the group, staring straight ahead of him without looking at the group. "Tonight you embark on a dangerous mission."

"Sir, yes sir!"

The rhino began to pace before his troops. "_You_ will be infiltrating a highly guarded area."

"Sir, yes sir!"

"You're objective is to avoid detection at all cost while you fulfill your mission," The rhino turned on his heel, pacing back towards the direction he'd come "Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"I do not _know_ the details, but I am _told_ you are the best of the best in your field of expertise, whatever that may be. Is that correct?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good! If what you are telling me is accurate, then we should have no problem executing this mission, right?

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good! Now let's get ready to moooooooove out!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

The rhino turned towards the assembled group for the first time, his face bristling with a confident smile. His smile quickly faded however as he actually started looking at his troops. Before him stood numerous cheerful looking people wearing brightly colored T-shirts that read "Shimmer Brigade" on the front in big, bold letters, each smiling as they held their hands up to their heads in a salute. Slowly the rhino's jaw started to drop. He shook his head before bellowing angrily.

"JOHN! SMITH! Get you matching suit wearing booties over here PRONTO!"

The two suited men walked over nervously, each footstep sending a metallic echo through the room. "Sir, I,"

"WHAT, in the name of all things good and pure, am I looking at!"

"These are the Shimmer Brigade volunteers, sir. They..."

"The WHAT?"

The two men flinched in unison. "The Shimmer Brigade, sir." said Agent John slowly.

"They're volunteers that help with several of the Bright Corps charity organizations."

"And, _why_, if I may be so bold to ask, are they standing before me in a _military grade airplane hanger_?"

The two flinched again. "They're the ones being deployed...sir."

The rhino's massive hands reached down and grabbed the fronts the agents suits before lifting them up into the air.

"I was told," said the rhino in a deep, menacing voice. "That I would be leading a team of highly skilled specialists on a top secret stealth mission for Mr. Bright."

"Yes, sir." choked out the agents.

"And what exactly does this bunch of pansies specialize in? Flower planting?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

The rhino turned his head to stare at the smiling group, still holding attention. His jaw slowly started to drop again before he turned back to the agents with a growl. "This...had better be...a joke."

"The flower planting is just part of the mission, sir." choked out Agent John, trying desperately to breath.

"The other part is an intel gathering mission." said Agent Smith. "Very high priority sir."

"Indeed. You're also to keep tabs on Knuckles the Echidna, guardian of the Master Emerald and renowned fighter. If your caught, you might have to face a very skilled opponent."

"There's a chance you might not come back alive."

The rhino drew the two closer, staring deep into their eyes from behind his shades. The agents prepared themselves for the worst, the Captain's steaming breath practically burning against their skin. Eventually he snorted before dropping the two agents to the floor. "That sounds more like it," he muttered angrily. "BUT I WANT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE FLOWER PLANTING HIPPIES DRESSED IN FULL MILITARY ATTIRE ON THE DOUBLE!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

The rhino turned his back, marching away with an angry stomp as he grumbled something about not being paid enough to deal with a bunch of brightly dressed flower children, leaving the two agents to rub their necks from where the rhino's tight grip on their suits had been restricting their airways. Agent John turned to his partner.

"You don't really think Knuckles would actually kill anyone if he found out we were spying on him, do you?"

"If it keeps Captain Blowhard from crushing our skulls, then as far as I'm concerned Knuckles the echidna is the world's foremost kickboxing, judo chopping assassin with the power to shoot nuclear warheads out of his nose holes."

"I believe it's pronounced..."

* * *

><p>"Bonehorn! That's Captain BoneHorn! Get it right, you maggot!"<p>

The now black clad general grumbled to himself as he sat in the back of one of the black planes as it soared through the night skies. Around him sat numerous smiling Shimmer Brigade volunteers, all eager for their new assignment.

"Are you sure it's not Broadhorn?" Asked a green cat. "Because I know a guy that has the last name Broadhorn, though he's a giraffe, but still, maybe you..."

"How in the name of all things sweet and sugary could I actually mistake my own name? And furthermore, NO, I am not related to any giraffes! Now keep quite until we get to our destination."

"Can you believe we get to go _skydiving_?" asked a blue monkey to a nearby ferret.

"I know! At the last organization I volunteered for we just served food to the homeless."

"Oh! Was it the Soup for the Soul charity?"

"No, no, that's affiliated with the Main Street Church. Mine was Knishes for the Homeless. We're affiliated with the West Side Synagogue. We serve traditional Jewish foods to feed the impoverished of Central City."

"Oh, I've read about that one in the newspaper! I've heard you guys stay really busy."

"We get to feed a lot of people, but still, this is the first charity I've ever gotten to go _skydiving_ at!"

"Oh, I know right? This is so..."

"THIS IS _NOT_ SKYDIVING!" Captain Bonehorn breathed heavily in fury, causing the volunteers to immediately quiet down. "You are about to be deployed from five thousand feet in the air into dangerous enemy territory with only a piece of cloth between you and existence as tree hugging, flower planting PANCAKES!"

There was a long moment of silence as the group considered his words.

"I don't think we could plant flowers if we were pancakes."

Bonehorn cried out in fury before turning to talk into an intercom attached to the wall. "How much further are we from the drop site?"

"We're nearing it now, sir. Drop in T-minus 60 seconds."

"Finally! I've had enough quality time with these hippies as it is. Everyone, parachutes on!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

The Shimmer Brigade members strapped on their parachutes. As they were doing so, the back of the plane started to open. Far below the surface of Angel Island could barely be made out in the night.

"Remember." said Bonehorn as he rose out of his seat,. "Once you jump out of this plane, you're on your own. This is enemy territory, which means it's everyone for themselves. I won't lie, some of you may not come back alive. Your parachute may not open. You may fall onto the top of a pointy tree and be impaled. You might miss Angel Island entirely, and drop straight into the ocean where you may tread water for days, if not weeks, hoping that maybe someone comes to save you before you either lose the strength to swim and drown, or you die from lack of thirst surrounded by salt ridden, undrinkable water. Any questions?"

There was a moment of silence before the ferret stood up.

"Can we go out for cocoa afterwords?"

Slowly the rhino's jaw dropped. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? I just told you that you might DIE on this mission! Why are you so happy?"

The volunteers all smiled at each other before saluting.

"An attitude of gratitude with sunshine in your heart!

Never from a cheerful spirit shall we ever depart!

Hope and joy and peace and love, we aim to be the light!

Ever shall the Shimmer Brigade be super super bright!

Goooooooooooooooo Shimmers!"

As the Shimmer Brigade volunteers all cheered Bonehorn's eye began to twitch behind his glasses.

"YOU'RE ALL OUT OF YOUR MINDS!"

The rhino screamed as he suddenly jumped out of the back of the plane, flying down at the jungle below. Immediately after numerous laughing figures leapt from the plane towards the jungle below with barely muffled excitement. Bonehorn looked back at the group almost fearfully before pulling his cord with all of his might. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a little too much as the cord ripped completely off without activating the parachute. The rhino looked at the torn cord in his hand before screaming even louder as he plummeted though the air until he finally crashed into the jungle floor below. Above him the volunteers all pulled their cords with a touch of cheerful flair, causing solid black parachutes to unfurl above them. They all did their best to contain their giggles of glee as they drifted silently and safely to the ground.

"That was so much fun!" whispered the blue monkey, trying his best to be quiet lest the surprise for the island's main resident be ruined.

"I know!" replied the ferret in a hushed voice. "I now officially love skydiving!"

"_Hmf hm hmf hm hmf..."_

"Did you say something?" asked the ferret.

"Nope." The two looked around for a moment before the ground began to shift beneath them. They quickly jumped to the sides as a bruised and battered Captain Bonehorn slowly rose.

"I said." began the rhino. "That it is _not_ skydiving!"

"_Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh_~!" They both replied in unison. "We have to keep it down or the surprise will be ruined."

"Speaking of," said the ferret. "I wonder where the flowers we're going to plant are?"

As if on cue, a massive crate labeled 'flowers' dropped to the ground directly on top of Captain Bonehorn.

"There they are." replied the monkey. He smiled for a moment before taking out a glow stick from his pocket and cracking it to activate it. The volunteer shook it to cause the glow to spread throughout the tube before he started waving it around. As if in reply, more glow sticks began to shine in the dark, indicating where the other groups of volunteers had landed.

"Okay, they've got our locations." replied the monkey. "Now let's start unpacking."

The front of the crate suddenly fell open as a bedraggled Bonehorn walked out covered in the orange flowers from inside the crate, several pots of them unconsciously cradled in his arms. The two volunteers beside him smiled before each taking a pot.

"That's our Captain." said the monkey cheerfully.

"Always one step ahead of the game."

"Hippie...flower...buncha..." The hardened general swayed for a moment before finally collapsing to the ground. The two volunteers beside him looked down at his prostrate form.

"Skydiving must have taken a lot out of him." whispered the ferret.

"Let's let him rest a bit. He'll need all the strength he can get for planting."

"Howdy, ho~." The two volunteers turned to see a human with brown hair walking towards them from the dark, a yellow canary by his side.

"Hey, Troop Master Brady." said the ferret in a hushed voice.

"We saw your signal light." said the apparent Troop Master. "Now, let's get unpacking. We have a lot of planting to do before sunrise."

"Yes, sir!"

The man smiled before looking over at the fallen Captain. "What happened to him?"

"Skydiving." said the monkey. "Took a little too much out of him."

"We thought it best to let him rest." added the ferret.

"That's a bright idea." said the man smiling. "Just prop him up on those trees over there. That should give him a safe place to rest until he recovers."

"Sir, yes sir!"

The two volunteers struggled as they tried to drag the massive rhino away.

"He's...really...heavy..." said the monkey in between grunts of effort.

"He...must really...workout..." replied the ferret. Despite the indicated spot only being about fifteen feet away, it still took the pair ten minutes to move the massive figure. When they finally got him to where the troop leader had indicated, the two of them fell to the ground, panting.

"Okay." said the monkey in a hushed and slightly breathless voice. "We got him to the spot."

"Now let's cover him up to keep him warm while he rests."

The two nodded, smiling even as sweat ran down their faces. They began gathering large leaves from the jungle trees, layering them across the captain until his entire body was concealed from view. Just as they were about to lay down the last leaf, the ferret noticed something from the corner of her eyes.

"Hey, look." whispered the ferret. The two volunteers turned their eyes towards a dark figure walking down a nearby path.

"What are they doing?" asked the monkey in a hushed voice. "They're wide out in the open! They might ruin the surprise!"

"Plus the flower crate is the other way!" added the ferret.

"We have to stop them."

The two silently started wadding through the foliage, trying desperately to make their way towards the figure while still being stealthy. It was slow work, but the two eventually managed to make their way to the path, and run after the figure. The mysterious person had a large lead on them, but the two ran as fast and silently as they could to catch up. After ten minutes of running they managed to catch site of the figure right as they neared the edge of Angel Island.

"There they are." said the ferret.

"Good, now we just need to get their atten..." The monkey was cut short as the ferret suddenly tackled him into one of the nearby bushes. The two struggled for a moment.

"What are you..." A hand slammed over the monkey's mouth, increasing their struggles for a moment before the ferret finally managed to pin the blue monkey to the ground.

"_Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~!" _The ferret slowly lowered her head, the warning look in her eyes causing the monkey to cease struggling. Without so much as a word, the ferret pointed ahead of them towards the figure. A moment passed before the waxing moon peaked from behind the clouds, causing a single moonbeam to shine down upon the figure. The monkey's eyes widened at the sight of crimson dreadlocks, drifting across the strong back of Angel Island's guardian. He started to struggle, which meant the ferret had to try all the harder to keep him still. The guardian glanced back in their direction, causing the struggle to come to an immediate halt. Both volunteers froze, holding their breath as they hoped not to be seen. After what seemed like an eternity, the guardian turned back towards the edge of the island. He paused staring below for a long moment before taking a deep breath. In one swift movement the guardian leapt over the edge of the island, gliding on the air as he made his way down towards the surface and out of view.

The two volunteers sat frozen for a long moment after he dove over the edge. The ferret stared after the figure for a moment before a series of muffled cries from below caught her attention. She looked down to see the monkey's cheeks slowly turning the same shade of blue as the rest of his fur. The ferret quickly removed her hand from his mouth, letting the monkey finally get the oxygen he had so desperately needed. The ferret was quick to get off her companion's back, allowing him to finally sit up.

"That was Knuckles!" said the monkey finally after several deep breaths.

"I know!" said the ferret. "We're lucky we didn't get caught."

"I wonder where he's going?"

"I don't know." said the ferret. The two sat for a moment pondering before the ferret smiled.

"You know what this means, right?"

"What?" asked the monkey.

"Now we can plant flowers without any fear of being discovered!"

The monkey stared for a moment before his eyes began to shine with renewed excitement. "You're right! We have to go tell the other!" The two practically climbed over each other as they rushed back through the jungle, eager to tell their companions of their newest flower planting opportunity.

* * *

><p>"Ms. Rouge."<p>

The ivory haired bat turned as a buff bison in a black suit and dark sunglasses cautiously entered through the door. She sighed before looking at the bison with a frustrated glare.

"How many times have I told you to wait until I say you can come in before opening the door?"

"M-my apologies, ma'am." The bison stuttered as he went back out and closed the door. Rouge maintained her glare for a moment before the knock came at the door once more. Slowly a smile played its way across her face as her features softened into a more mischievous expression.

"Who is it?" she called lightly.

"It's Jean ma'am."

"Why Jean, how wonderful of you to stop by."

"May I come in ma'am?"

"I don't know." said the bat, looking upwards as if she were mulling over his statement. "I'm kind of busy."

"Please, ma'am. I just need to check a couple things before we open."

"Oh, all right. But just cause you ask _so_ nicely."

The bat smiled as the bison once more entered into the room. The bouncer looked around for a moment, his eyes adjusting to the dim light of his employer's bedroom. The room was decked out in midnight blue wall paper and carpets, the only lighting coming through the glass doors leading out onto the balcony. A large, extremely cushy, four poster, queen sized bed stood directly in front of him, gauzy black curtains hanging around the bed. A black, silk comforter and heart shaped pillows rested over pink sheets, and a heart shaped headboard with bat wings stood prominently against the wall. Beside the bed sat a rather curvacious black nightstand, with a bat winged lamp sitting directly on top of it, though he knew that the lamp was mostly for decoration. A heart shaped couch sat across an ornate black coffee table from a pair of heart shaped armchairs, forming a sort of sitting area in the middle of the room. Several paintings, and ornaments decorated the walls of the room, the most prominent of which being a massive picture of Ms. Rouge flying away from a large explosion alongside a black hedgehog and a large, dangerous looking red robot, a playful smile across her face. The bison watched his employer take a seat at a large, heart shaped vanity with with black bat wings elegantly curving along the sides, the room illuminating somewhat as she flipped on the rosy pink lights that surrounded the mirror and began to do her makeup.

"So, what's going on?" asked his employer, paying more attention to her eyeliner than him.

"Well ma'am," began the bison. "The chef's just want to confirm..."

"Chocolate coffee cake. Give them a dollop of whip cream on top, and finish with a strawberry." interrupted the bat doing her mascara nonchalantly.

"Alright...And the DJ was wondering..."

"Start them off with sets five and seven for the opening, and then transition to tracks three and twelve around one a.m. After that, tell him to just go with whatever feels best. I'm giving him a little freedom tonight, so he better not blow it."

"...I don't suppose I should..."

"I've already talked with the waitresses." said Rouge as she moved on to lip gloss. "Any patron touches them, and they have full permission to pour ice water straight on their heads. That's the one warning they get, and then I want them thrown out on their ear. I'll be out tonight, so I put Larry in charge of doing the throwing. Also, I don't serve alcohol here for a reason, so if anyone comes thinking this is a cheap place to get drunk, or, worse, shows up drunk, give them a black eye on the house, compliments of the owner. I don't want any repeats of last week."

The bison smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

The ivory haired bat caught sight of his expression in the mirror. She turned to him, crossing her legs as she put the cap on her lip gloss.

"Impressed?"

"As always, ma'am."

A smile played across the bat's face at his response before she shrugged, putting on a nonchalant expression. "Well, really, Jean. You should be used to me surpassing expectations by now."

"Of course, ma'am." The bison paused as Rouge turned back to her mirror. "If you don't mine me asking, where are you off to tonight, ma'am."

"Just running an errand." said the bat casually.

"You seem to have quite a few errands lately."

"I'm a busy girl." the bat stood up from her vanity as she walked across the room to look out the ornate, glass doors. Outside, a long line of people stretched from one corner of the street, down the sidewalk, under her balcony, and to the next corner before curving around the corner of the building and out of sight. Jean walked up behind his employer to look out the window with her.

"Seems like it's going to be a busy night." said the bison.

"A busy night means a large sum of cash for the club." replied Rouge with a smile.

"And for you."

"Well, naturally." Rouge turned on her heel as she made her way back over to the vanity, continuing where she left off. "Now, be a dear and go open the doors, would you Jean?"

"Of course, ma'am."

The bison left the room, the door closing behind him with a click. Rouge paused in her makeup application, her keen ears listening intently as Jean's footsteps grew softer. When she was sure he was at a satisfactory distance, she arose from the vanity to lock the door, making sure there would be no more intrusions.

"Now, let's get ready for our errand shall we?" The thief smiled to herself, making her way across the room to a large, curvacious wardrobe.

* * *

><p>"She didn't!"<p>

"No, I am totally serious! She did!"

"Girl, are you for real?"

A large blue cow in club attire nodded to her similarly dressed purple cow friend.

"On the last episode of _Rosa por mi Amor_, Juanita actually confronted her childhood friend and current boyfriend's evil twin on the balcony of the tropical resort they were staying at, telling him that she knew that he was the evil twin and not really her boyfriend, and that she planned to expose him for the fake that he was, _but_ at that exact moment a tsunami,"

"A tsunami?"

"Girl, a _tsunami_! It just rolled up out of nowhere, and smacked the resort, causing Juanita to fall over the balcony, and into the ocean. Now everyone is trying to find her to see if she's still alive, but, as everyone was searching, Juanita's best friend, Cecilia came up to who she thought was the boyfriend of Juanita but was actually the evil twin, and told him that she was _in love with him_!"

"Oooooooooh, _snap_! Who she think she's trying to fool? Everybody knows that she's still in love with Richo from the surf shop."

"Nu-uh." said the purple cow. "Not after he cheated on her with that little floozy who runs the lemonade stand down by the pier."

"He did?"

"You didn't see that episode?"

"Girl, you know what? That must have been the episode I missed when the power went out at my apartment complex. Tell me what happened."

"Well, you see, it started when Richo..."

Knuckles sat with his arms crossed as the train rattled down the tracks towards his destination. He and the two cows a couple benches down were the only ones riding in this compartment. He had to admit, intentionally riding a train into the city to see Rouge was probably the last thing he ever expected to be willingly doing. As he got closer to his destination, his stomach slowly started to knot with nervousness. He had tried pushing it aside, but the feeling kept coming back no matter how many times he shoved it away. Almost every time he had seen Rouge, it had either been her coming to annoy him, or him trying to get back something she stole. The very idea of going to her to ask a favor was enough to make him fidget.

The echidna turned to a small, cloth bundle that sat beside him, reaching inside to pull out the card that had inspired his journey. Rouge had used a similar looking card to distract him on one of her escapades to steal the Master Emerald. He knew it was a long shot, but if she could give him any information about the card, where these types of cards were made, or, better yet, if she actually knew someone who used cards like the one he was holding, then he would be one step closer to find out who was trying to frame him. However, he still couldn't get over the nervousness that ate away at his stomach. This was Rouge. She wasn't just going to _give_ him the information. What if she wanted something in exchange, like the Master Emerald? Or what if she really was upset about the other night and wouldn't even talk to him? For some reason, that was what had been worrying him more than anything. He hadn't seen her since the night she overheard him talking. How would she react to him when she saw him? Would she be her normal batty self? Would she be angry? Hurt? He still couldn't imagine that anything he could say would ever hurt the batty thief, but what if...

He tried to stop thinking about it. Worrying did nothing to help the situation. Whatever would happen would happen, and he'd just have to wait until he saw her to figure everything out. The echidna returned the card to his bundle and went back to listening to cow's chatter. They had spent the majority of the train ride talking about some sort of soap opera, and, much to his surprise, Knuckles found himself interested in the dramatic plot twists and strange turns of event that they were discussing.

"_Next Stop: Night Babylon."_

The echidna looked up at the glowing sign above the doors reading where they about to stop next. The words Night Babylon glowed against a black background. The train started to slow down, causing Knuckles to grab onto one of the nearby safety poles so he didn't fall over. The train came to an abrupt halt as they entered the station.

"_Please watch your step on the way out, and have a nice day."_

The two cows stood up as the doors opened, still wrapped in their conversation. Knuckles grabbed his bundle as the cows left, and quickly followed to exit the train before the doors could close again. As soon as he stepped out of the train, his eyes widened. Before him flashing lights burned against the night sky, making it appear almost as bright as day. Bright neon colors were everywhere, and signs advertising casinos, restaurants, and clubs of every shape and size flowed with glowing letters. Music from the various attractions boomed out into the streets, mixing with the chatter of the nightlife who walked the busy sidewalks, preparing for their night time fun. It was the guardian's first time in Night Babylon, and needless to say he was a bit stunned. As he looked onwards at the explosion of light and color that stood before him, a horrible realization dawned upon him. This was his very first time in Night Babylon. He had no idea where anything was or how to get around the area. He only knew Rouge lived here because he had overheard her talking about it once, but he had no idea where in Night Babylon she lived! How was he supposed to find her in all of this?

The echidna felt suddenly overwhelmed as a sense of apprehension gripped his stomach. The bright lights before him drifted out of focus as the realization of how truly unprepared he had been for this journey sunk in. He shook his head, trying to clear the fear from his mind. Slowly the warrior steeled himself, staring at the flashing lights with a glare of defiance. He was Knuckles the echidna. Last in a long line of brave warriors that had come before him. It didn't matter how big this place was. He was going to find Rouge, no matter what it took. With the fire of fresh determination burning inside him, the echidna stepped forward against the neon lights and booming music, his resolve stronger than ever before as he moved onwards towards the unknown.

* * *

><p><em>"Ooooooooooooooh~! Wet my feathers and call me John! Won't be long 'till all the dust's gone! I'll sweep it clean, and keep it neat. When it comes to cleanin' I won't be beat~!"<em>

The duck laughed to himself as he continued cleaning the floors. He stopped a moment, whipping his forehead.

"A janitor's work is never done, though I do get to go home after I sweep this here lobby. He-yuck, he-yuck, he-yuck!" The janitor was about to go back to cleaning when he noticed the sound of sweeping coming from somewhere within the lobby. He looked around for a moment, squinting in the dim light, until he saw a figure in a janitors uniform sweeping some distance away.

"Hello?" he asked, curiously.

"Hey."

"Who are you? I thought I was the only one who worked this shift."

"Name's Cuffs." said the other janitor in a deep voice. "They recently hired me on to help out with cleaning here. They told me I'm supposed to lock up tonight. Do you mind?"

"Mind?" asked the duck smiling. "'Course I don't mind! This gives me a chance ta work on my dissertation on molecular physics! I'm just one semester away from gettin' that there PhD I been workin' for for so long. My mid term thesis got me an A, so I'm a hopin' ta get a similar grade on this and finally be done with all my education. Just make sure ta turn off all the lights when ya get ready ta leave, okay?"

"Sure thing." said the figure, giving a brief wave without actually looking behind him. The duck squinted once more, trying to get a better look at the other janitor, but could only make out long hair flowing out from underneath a baseball cap. The duck shrugged.

"Well, nighty night then Cuffs." The duck waved once more as he exited through the doors leading out of the building. The person calling themselves Cuffs turned around, lifting their cap as a single beam of moonlight shone in through the open doors, briefly illuminating the features of a certain ivory haired thief. The thief smiled as she lowered her cap back down over the red dreadlocks now resting atop her head and continued sweeping, slowly making her way out of the lobby area and deeper into the midst of the building.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>:** Hi Hi peoples! Sorry this chapter is so late. End of the semester school work ate all of my free time. (It was so traumatic! It didn't even use a fork. It just consumed greedily right before my eyes. The horror! T.T) Still, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. I went over it like five times, editing, rewriting, and just trying to get it to feel right to me. I'm not sure how well, I did, but I would love to hear any feedback you can give me. Thanks a bunch for reading, and, since I didn't get to say it before, A HAPPY BELATED CHRISTMAS, AND A HYPER HAPPY NEW YEAR! *launches fireworks for the beginning of 2012!***

**P.S. Sparkling_nexis137 does not own anything of the Sonic franchise, except for the plot of this story. I am however considering getting a wig of red dreadlocks. I'm not sure I could pull it off as well as Rouge, but you never know. ^^**


	5. Of Art and Lasers

**Chapter 5: Of Art and Lasers**

"This little light of mine!"

"I'm gonna let it shine!"

"This little light of mine!"

"I'm gonna let it shine!"

"This little light of mine!"

"I'm gonna let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine~!"

Songs of joy and exuberance flowed through the jungles of Angel Island. Scattered throughout the jungles numerous teams of Shimmer Brigade volunteers worked planting flowers, each group bursting into chorus as they did so. Since the guardian and soul resident of the island was gone, the need for stealth had almost completely disappeared.

"Everything still clear, Sonny?" shouted Scout Master Brady from the ground, the group behind him vigorously planting flowers in any open space they could get their hands on.

"No sign of Knuckles!" shouted a yellow canary from high up in the trees. The smiling bird was but one of many volunteers posted high in the tree tops on look out for any sign of the return of the guardian. Though they were no longer attempting to hide their presence, they still wanted to be cautious.

Scout Master Brady nodded in affirmation as he began strolling through the jungle to check on the various groups. As far as he was concerned, right now was just the warm ups for what was to come. The jungles would soon be filled with the orange flowers, but there was one place in particular he wanted to have as many flowers planted in as possible. He would make sure it was an artwork of flora. A masterpiece of color and cheer that would make Knuckles feel more loved than ever before! Bowing his head as he walked, he prayed that they had enough time to complete their work before the guardian could return. As he finished though, a thought occurred in the back of his mind. Knuckles was the guardian of the Master Emerald, known for his dedication to keeping it safe from the clutches of any who might try to take it. So what had caused him to leave the island unguarded, and furthermore, where exactly had the crimson guardian gone?

* * *

><p>"Yo taxi!"<p>

"I hear this club is so fetch!"

"Shut up you stupid pervert! Stop looking at my glorious physic!"

"I just wanted to ask directions..."

The chatter of the bustling city surrounded Knuckles as he was jostled from side to side by the mass of bodies cluttering the nighttime streets. There was no chance for slowing down. No time for rest. You either went with the flow, or were nearly trampled by the masses around you. Though the echidna had to draw deeply on his reserves of self-control to resist screaming at these people to give him some space, he was still thankful for the anonymity that the crowd provided. After his numerous adventures to help save the world, both with and without Sonic, he had gained quit a reputation. On the rare occasions that he did leave Angel Island and go to more populated areas, the guardian had a habit of being quickly recognized by the people there, who, after the initial registering of his presence, quickly proceeded to swarm him, often asking him for autographs, pictures, and occasionally marriage, though those were the times when it was best to either politely decline and back away, or straight up make a speedy getaway before they got a hold of him. It's not that he couldn't defend himself from an attack, but fighting a dangerous foe and fighting roving fan girls were two entirely different things. Well, marginally different things. Slightly different? The longer the echidna thought about it, the more similarities he noticed between the two events.

Either way, getting recognized in a place with as many people as this wasn't a very favorable option. The echidna had stopped at a street vendor soon after he had arrived, and taken the liberty to grab a baseball cap and some sunglasses off the rack, leaving some of the money he had brought in his bag on the counter to avoid actually having to make face to face contact with the vendor. After all, striking up a conversation with someone out in the open wouldn't have been a very good way to keep himself from getting noticed.

At what could possibly be the fifteenth crosswalk he had encountered in the last ten minutes, the echidna slowed to a halt, practically grinding his teeth with impatience. Why did these people even have so many intersections? Considering how many people were filling the sidewalks, you'd think all of Central City had dedicated themselves to actually hoofing it to their destination instead of cluttering the roads with their various vehicles. It was ridiculous how often he had to stop, surrounded by a swarm of chattering city goers carrying on their conversations while he stared angrily at the electric "Do not walk" sign across the street, impatiently waiting for it to change green so he could continue moving in his search for Rouge's abode. The fact that he still had no idea where he was going at this point only added fuel to the burning fire of irritation that was eating away at his stomach.

As he tapped his foot, impatiently waiting for the latest of the accursed signs to change, a slight tugging sensation drew his attention down towards his side, just in time to see a newt in a black trench coat stealthily reaching inside the cloth bundle he still held firmly in one hand. Oblivious to the echidna's stare, the newt continued rummaging for a moment, attempting to find something of value inside the bag. Slowly the pickpocket's eye drifted upwards to the face of his supposedly unsuspecting victim.

Waves of heat seemed to radiate off the echidna's face as he glared at the offending amphibian, causing the perpetrator's large yellow eyes to slowly dilate in fear. Cautiously, the offender offered a small, apologetic smile to the would be victim, hoping to placate the unbridled rage directed at him. The smile, however, proved to be nothing more than a ploy as the amphibian jerked his hand out of the bundle with a fist full of cash held tightly in his grasp. Knuckles was taken off guard for just a moment by the distraction technique, giving the thief just enough time to turn and book it down the crowded streets.

That was it. That was the last straw. The very last straw! Being pushed around by shambling masses of clubbers was one thing, but no one, I mean no one, steals from Knuckles the echidna and gets away with it. The guardian let loose a scream of untempered rage before giving chase to the thief who had so blatantly robbed him right before his eyes, shoving away the unprepared pedestrians cluttering the streets as he ran of in flaming hot pursuit of the offender.

* * *

><p>"Wet my feathers and call me John. Won't be long till hm hm hm hmmmm."<p>

Rouge sighed as she leaned against her broom, closing her eyes in slight exasperation. "That song is going to be stuck in my head all night." Wrapping her hands around the broomstick for support, she slouched, tired of all the unnecessary cleaning she had been doing. She glanced up at a nearby light bulb shaped clock, noticing both that it was almost eleven o'clock and that it was probably the fifth light bulb clock that she had seen that night, as strange as that may sound. A devious smile caressed her ivory features.

"It's almost time." she said softly, picking up her broom once more as she continued to sweep the tiled hallways. When she had first entered the facility, she had actually been moderately impressed by how well designed it was. She had been in research facilities before, and, disregarding Dr. Eggman's various fortresses, they had all been pretty much the same, either a sterile white that blinded the senses or some dull, monochromatic pattern that seemed to suck the life out of you as you looked at it. This place, however, was different. Right off the bat she could tell that whoever had designed this building had been a big fan of art deco. Geometric murals depicting everything from bubbling beakers to flourishing vines spread across the walls in one grand composition that seemed to flow through the building, as if attempting to depict the merging natural and industrial science in bright, vibrant colors. The designs flowed over and around the steel doors that led into various labs and work stations where the employees of the facility did their work. As much as she would have loved to study the art work however, Rouge had to make sure to keep her head down as she swept, lest the security camera's that occasionally dotted the walls catch a glimpse of her actual face.

Discreetly the thief made her way through the corridors of the building, occasionally stopping at maps positioned along the wall to make sure she was going the right way. One of the convenient things about breaking into science facilities was that they always had maps on the walls to show people how to get to the exits in case of fire, as well as markings to indicate where fire extinguishers, emergency showers, and medical supplies were in case of accident. In a place like this, one never knew when some scientist's latest machine or chemical concoction might explode, turning the entire building into one massive, flaming chain reaction. They needed to have as many precautions as possible to keep people safe. Good when trying to keep the people who worked there out of harm's way, but bad when an uninvited guest decided to pay a visit.

Within a couple minutes she found what she was looking for. On the outside, the door looked just like every other she had passed, but according to her research this would most likely be where what she was looking for was kept. The disguised thief hide around the corner from the door, making sure to keep out of the security camera's line of site. With a quick flourish she removed several sheets of paper from the sleeves of her janitor's costume. She had been in this place for a while, and one of the first things she had done upon getting in was to head to the receptionist's desk to take a quick look on their computer. Of course, the egg heads that worked here had made sure to keep anything crucially important off of it, as well as keep it on a separate network than the rest of the computers in the building so no one could use it to hack into their precious research data, but Rouge had still managed to find several very interesting documents, including a register of all the employees that worked in the facility, payroll, a list of visitors, and, most importantly, a schedule for the building's security guards. According to the list, most of them were somewhere in the building watching the security cameras, probably munching on pizza or something as they did so, but interestingly enough the schedule stated that one guard out of every shift was positioned in a room elsewhere in the facility. Now, why would they take special care to post a guard inside a room while no other room in the facility got its own guard unless there was something very important inside that room? She looked down at the schedule, confirming what was about to happen.

_'It's showtime.'_ thought the bat as she looked up at yet another of the light bulb shaped clocks upon the wall. The hour hand struck eleven, and the doors down the hall opened as a large bull in a security guard's uniform walked out, whistling a tune as he went to find his replacement. As the whistling faded, Rouge smiled, shoving the papers back up her sleeve and ducking her head as she started sweeping her way closer to the door. Upon arriving at the door, she did a quick check of the hallways before removing the I.D. Card she had "borrowed" from Carlos from her pocket, sliding it quickly through the scanner beside the door. A pause. After about three seconds the light turned green, and the doors slide apart once more.

* * *

><p>"Now where did he go?..."<p>

Knuckles looked around him, searching for the thief that had so blatantly tried to rob him at the cross walk. The newt had proven to be much quicker than the guardian would have thought. After their initial confrontation, the echidna had chased the trench coat wearing thief all throughout the flashing district of Night Babylon and into some new area that was vastly different from where they had started. Whereas the casino's and clubs of Night Babylon had bombarded his senses with flashing lights and booming music, this place was the exact opposite. Decaying and dilapidated buildings lined the dirty city streets, the occasional piece of discarded trash dotting the cracked sidewalks. Flickering street lights occasionally lit the dimly colored buildings, flashing just long enough for him to catch a glimpse of the washed out graffiti decorating the alley walls. An eerie silence hung over the area, only occasionally broken by the wail of police sirens in the distance. With a growl of annoyance, the echidna looked around for any sign of the thief.

"I don't have time for this." he growled. A crash off to his side caused him to whip his head towards the source of the noise. "There you are!"

The amphibious pickpocket, lying on top of a fallen trash can, quickly looked up from rubbing his head, his large eyes going wide before he quickly darted off again. Growling in annoyance once more, Knuckles dashed off after the offender, knocking the trash can out of the way as he did so. Rouge could wait. This thief had caused him too much trouble to let him get away with it.

* * *

><p>"Honey, I'm home." Rouge smiled mischievously as she swept her way into the room, the sliding metal doors closing behind her. According to the schedule the next guard would come on shift in fifteen minutes, more than enough time for her to do what she came for. Dropping the broom, the thief took a good look around the room, which, as expected, turned out to be a fairly large laboratory. From the looks of it, several different experiments seemed to be going on at various stations around the room, ranging in subject matter from botany to particle physics. Research this classified could probably fetch her a pretty penny on the black market, however she currently had bigger coffee beans to boil. Casually, she strolled across the room, occasionally taking a closer look at some of the experiments. One in particular, however, really caught her eye. Inside a glass case near the center of the room was a bracelet composed of green stones. Numerous lasers and devices hung from the ceiling above the case, pointed directly at the piece of jewelry, though none of them were active at the moment.<p>

"My my." said the jewel thief, taking a closer look. "So you're the little trouble maker." Smiling, she walked away towards the rooms largest piece of equipment, a massive computer built into the wall of the lab. Nonchalantly, the thief rolled out the chair in front of the computer, twirling it once before taking a seat in front of the large screen. It only took a few moments for the computer to power up, a log in page pulling up as the massive screen came to life.

"_Welcome back Dr. C."_

Rouge cocked an eyebrow as the computer spoke in a soft male voice. "So it talks." said the thief, slightly taken off guard.

"_Please enter your password."_

"How about I enter something a little bit different." The bat smiled as she plugged her heart shaped hard drive into the computer's USB port. Immediately her virus began to download into the computer's mainframe, causing the large console to spark and pop as it ravaged the mainframe's security system.

"_Security breech. Security breech. System Error. System Err-or. Err-or. Err...ooooooor."_

The images on the screen flickered for moment before the main screen appeared, signaling the victory of the virus over the computer's security programs. With a smile, the thief immediately dove into the computer's files.

"Finally." she said. "If this thing had taken any longer to die, it might have been nominated for an Oscar."

Page after page of data and research documents passed before her eyes as the ivory haired hacker searched the files. Five minutes of undetected access were on the clock, and she intended to make complete use of it. After scanning some of the more mundane documents, she quickly made her way into the more secure files, taking extra care to break into the ones that had previously been restricted by password and those with "Top Secret" labels. A frown slowly crossed her face as she scanned the documents one by one, the clock rapidly counting down. She scrolled down the latest page of information until her eyes alighted upon something on the side of the screen.

"What's this?"

Before she had a chance to click on the file, her keen ears picked up the sound of footsteps approaching from outside the door, signaling that her time was up much earlier than she had planned. At a speed which would have made Sonic proud, the thief ejected her hard drive and erased every sign of her entry into the computer. With a click of a button, the computer powered down just as the doors of the lab slid open, allowing a muscular eagle to enter into the room, flashlight in hand.

"Another quiet night." he said smiling as he walked into the lab, flicking on the lights as he did so. With an easy pace, the guard walked over to the computer, turning around the empty chair and taking seat. "The guys better save me some pizza, or next time they can pay for my part of the bill." As he reached into his pocket to pull out his cellphone, most likely to browse the internet or play a game as he passed the time, the guard noticed something lying on the console. Curiously, he reached down a picked up a rectangular card, the silhouette of an echidna giving a thumbs up on the front and the word "Thanks" written in bold, blocky letters down at the bottom.

"What's this?" Before he could analyze the card any further, a large potted plant from one of the botany experiments soared over his head, crashing into the computer. Immediately the guard dove off the chair just as the computer screen exploded outwards, sending shards of glass flying through the room. Slowly, the guard looked up just in time to see a spiked fist smash through the glass case in the middle of the room and pull out the green bracelet inside.

"Stop right there!" yelled the guard as he pulled out his gun, aiming it for the back of the offender. Not even turning around, the figure shoved the bracelet in their pocket, their face remaining hidden from view. Carefully, the eagle edged closer to the figure.

"Now, don't try anything funny, bub. Just come quietly and..." Before he could finish, the figure booked for the door, grabbing something off one of the tables as they ran. Shots rang through the room as the security guard went on the offensive, clanging off the metal walls as the figure ducked through the sliding doors. Glaring angrily, the guard grabbed the communicator from his belt.

"This is a code red! I repeat, code red!"

Within moments, sirens started to blare throughout the building. Red lights flashed through the hallways as the disguised Rouge made a brake for the exit. The thief jumped backwards as a thick, metal plate shot across the hallways, barring her from getting closer to her goal.

"Nice try." said the bat with a smirk as she aimed the device she had grabbed out of the lab. With the pull of a lever, a beam of concentrated energy shot out at the metal plate, cutting through the thick steel. The bat quickly moved the beam in a square, cutting a hole through the plate, once more allowing her to proceed towards the exit. Plate after plate fell before her as she sliced her way through the security measures, all the while making sure to keep her face down, letting the security cameras focus more on the crimson wig and extra padded, spiked gloves and less on the beautiful ivory features hidden underneath.

Within minutes, the disguised bat arrived back at the lobby, using the stolen laser to slice the barred doors clean open. With a smile, she dropped the tool and dashed out into the night air, the cool breeze blowing through the fake dreadlocks as she ran across the yard. Police sirens sounded in the distance, rapidly approaching the facility as the thief jumped lightly over the tall, barbwire topped fence that surrounded the facility with her powerful legs. Flashing lights dyed the grounds of the facility alternating shades of red and blue as they pulled up, police quickly jumping out of the cars to pursue the crimson haired figure fleeing down one of the nearby alleyways.

"After them! Don't let them get away!"

Cops swarmed into the brick lined alleyways in pursuit of the offender, making sure to check dumpsters and trashcans along the way in case the criminal had decided to duck into one of the receptacles. Angrily, a lynx in a black vest emerged from the coffee house across the street, a serving towel gripped tightly in his hand.

"What is all this noise?" he shouted at the police officers. "You are disturbing my customers!"

From high up on the rooftops, Rouge watched one of the officers turned to address the angry waiter. Already a crowd of curious spectators was beginning to gather, trying to find out what the source of all the commotion was at such late hour. Smiling, the bat quickly slipped off her janitors costume, revealing her regular black body suit underneath. The light of the waxing moon gleamed against her ivory fur as she removed the crimson wig from her head, quickly shoving it and the rest of her disguise into a pair of used shopping bags she had gotten earlier that day from nearby stores and planted on the rooftops before she had entered.

Tonight had gone exceptionally well. Granted, her research time had been cut short, but at least she had accomplished a majority of what she had originally set out to do. Slowly, the bat opened her dark wings, stretching them as wide as she could to alleviate the tension that came with keeping them folded inside the costume for so long. The simple caress of the night air filled the bat with renewed life as the adrenaline from her latest heist slowly ebbed away. Still, she wasn't in the clear yet. Picking up her bags, she started running across the roof tops, hurtling from one to the other as the flashing lights faded into the background behind her. Though the shopping bags would be a good alibi in case they did catch her, she still wanted to avoid attention as much as possible to eliminate all chance of the crime being traced back to her by the authorities. Oftentimes, the get away was more important to than the job itself, so one had to take as many precautions as possible not to get caught.

As soon as she was sure she was far enough away, the ivory haired thief spread her wings once more, taking to the skies and rising high into the air. With the information she had learned and the bracelet tucked safely away in her bag, she was all set for the next stage of her plan. She smiled. For both her, and a certain crimson haired echidna, the next stage would be where the fun really began.

* * *

><p>"I think he's dead."<p>

Back in the jungles of Angel Island, the Shimmer Brigade had moved deeper into the foliage in their quest to fill the island with flowers. However, since Captain Bonehorn still hadn't woken up, a certain monkey and ferret had been left behind to keep an eye on him just in case he recovered.

"I'm pretty sure he's not dead." said the ferret. "He's still breathing."

"I know. I was attempting to be humorous."

"Oh...Ha ha?"

"No one likes a pity laugh."

"Well, it was kind of funny after you explained it."

"But if you have to explain the joke for people to get it, then it's not really funny."

"How is it less funny if someone laughs afterwords than if some laughs before you explain it?"

"Because if they laugh without you explaining it then that means it was funny enough to be gotten on its own."

"I don't know. Like, it some art people make stuff, and they say it has deep intellectual meaning, yet no one gets it except them at first, but once they explain it everyone thinks its the best thing ever."

"Yeah, but when it comes to that type of art, it's more like stuck up people liking to feel intelligent because they actually _do_ get it so they can feel superior to the people that don't get it. Sort of like a club where people join only so they can snob people who aren't in the club. Less about content, and more about how they can use it."

"True. I guess if it was really good art, people would be able to at least get a sense of what it's supposed to mean rather than staring at it and only knowing it's supposed to be art."

"Well, technically, anything can be qualified as art. Like a preschooler's drawing is art. A dance can be art. A meal at a restaurant, an invention, a story, they can all be called art. A lot of people try to limit what defines art to really narrow definitions, but in my opinion I think anything that was created with the purpose of being art, and a lot of things that were created without the purpose of being art, can qualify as art."

"That's really deep when you get to think about it."

"Thanks."

"Your welcome."

A moment passed as the two sat in silence, staring at the unconscious general layed out in the pile of leaves before them.

"I still think he's dead."

"CRAZY HIPPIES!"

With a scream, the two volunteers jumped back as the Captain shot up from the leaves with a scream. In slight shock, the two watched as he started rubbing his head after the initial outburst.

"What happened?" he asked groggily.

"You sorta passed out after we finished skydiving." replied the monkey slowly.

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's not...Oh, forget it. Now, where's the rest of the Pansy Brigade?"

"The Shimmer Brigade?"

"Yeah, them."

"They went deeper into the jungle planting flowers."

"WHAT?"

Startled, the two volunteers jumped back once more as the Captain rose, the leaves that had previously covered him drifting slowly to the ground.

"That's dangerous enemy territory! If Knuckles see them, that bunch of tree huggers won't stand a chance!"

"Oh, there's no need to worry about that." said the ferret smiling.

"Explain yourself."

"We saw Knuckles leave the island a little bit after we got here." said the monkey, elaborating. "We figured since he was the only one here, we could sort of ease up on the stealth. It's a lot easier to plant when you don't have to worry about hiding."

"Knuckles...left?"

"Yep. Jumped right off the island."

"And you didn't inform me of this because...?"

"We couldn't wake you. You were pretty knocked out."

Silence.

"Captain?"

Slowly, the two started to back away as the muscular rhino started to tremble, his fists tightening as he stared hard at the leaf strewn ground.

"Are you okay?"

"Lousy...Bunch a...HIPPIES~!"

Several of the nearby trees began to shake as the captain's cry rang through the jungle, startling a couple of nearby flickies, who quickly took flight into the night sky. As his cry came to an end, the captain stood panting in range, steam practically billowing from his nostrils.

"Good thing Knuckles was gone." whispered the monkey to the ferret. "That would definitly have blown our cover."

With a cry of rage, the captain barged off through the jungle, kicking away anything that found its way into his path.

"Where are you going?" yelled the ferret.

"Yeah. Aren't you gonna help us with the flowers?"

"It was my job," said the rhino. "To keep tabs on Knuckles tonight, and just because he leaves the island doesn't mean that my job has ended. I'm going to find that lousy rodent and fufill my mission whether he's on the island or not!"

"I'm not sure if your in the best mindset for stealthy observation right now."

"Plus, he could pretty much be anywhere by now. He's been gone for a couple hours, and there are a lot of places you can get in that kind of time, especially if you can glide like he can."

"Just go plant you little hippie flowers." said the captain, waving them off. "I've got real business to take care of, and I don't need any warning from a bunch of volunteers."

"But..."

Unable to stop him, all the two could do was watch as the uniformed rhino barged off into the jungles.

"How's he going to leave the island if we parachuted in and the choppers aren't scheduled to pick us up for a couple more hours?" asked the ferret.

"I don't know." admitted the monkey. "But I guess since he's leaving we're free to go plant flowers."

"Cool. Let's go." With a smile, the two volunteers turned and rushed off to go help out their comrades deeper within the jungle.

Meanwhile, Bonehorn rampage was leading him further and further down the path towards the edge of the island. Reaching into one of the pockets on his bright yellow uniform, he pulled out a communicator of sorts, pressing a button on the side. "Captain Bonehorn requesting immediate pickup from Angel Island, over."

There was a slight pause before a reply crackled back over the device. "Rodger. We'll send someone right away, over."

Nodding, the muscular figure closed the communicator as he continued his treck towards the edge of the island.

"Enjoy your little trip away from home, Knuckles." said the captain in a deep voice. "Cause if I find out you've been up to something, the next trip you'll be taking is to the iron bar hotel, and I can personally garentee that it will be a very long trip. Better watch out, echidna. Captain Bonehorn's coming for you."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Hi hi everyone! I really hoped you liked this chapter. It's a bit shorter than the last one, but I really wanted to update. School's started back, so my update times will most likely be a bit longer than normal. Still, I shall do my best to keep the updating at a regular and hopefully quick pace.<strong>

**Also, I tried out a bit of a different writing style in this chapter than in the others. I'm trying really hard to increase my skills as a writer, so I would really love to hear your comments on how this chapter turned out, if you get a chance. Thank you very much for reading. Until next time. ^^**

**P.S. Sparkling_nexis137 does not own anything having to do with the Sonic franchise except the plot of this story. It's be cool if I did though. I would sooooo want to make another Sonic animated series, filled with emotion and action and everything~! Of course, knowing me, I'd probably fill it with like gigas amounts of romance, which would might not be so enjoyed by the people who like Sonic for the action. Oh well~! I can dream, can't I? ^^**


	6. Shakedown City

**Chapter Six: Shakedown City**

"_Boom, cha, boom boom cha. Boom, cha, boom boom cha._

_Inner Central City_

_Ain't a place that's pretty._

_Where the gangsters roll_

_Up in the Hole._

_Going downtown_

_Bring it all around_

_Can you hear my sound?_

_Smack you down_

_Then you'll wear a frown._

_Boom, cha, boom boom cha. Boom, cha, boom boom cha._

_Boom..."_

Silence hung in the air as the last note sounded, reverberating off the walls of the dilapidated warehouse where a small gang of thugs now lounged. Dull orange light shone forth from the various electric lamps scattered about the area, each connected to a small portable generator hidden deeper inside the facility, while moonlight filtered in through the broken windows above, adding the lightest tint of blue to the scene below. Old couches, chairs, and other worn pieces of furniture were scattered about the center of the warehouse, forming a makeshift living area amongst the various crates that still filled the long forgotten storage unit.

"Nice beats, Snoopy." said a large, muscular, black rottweiler as he leaned back in a large purple arm chair, his fur covered chest bare underneath the straps of his purple suspenders. "Though you may wanna rethink that frown line. It's a little soft, if ya know whad I mean."

"That's Snow Pea." said a small female chihuahua as she adjusted her red sunglasses. Numerous gold chains hung around her tiny neck, complimenting the large gold hoop earrings that adorned her ears, while a red track suit covered her small physic. "Ya known me for two years Vinnie! And by the way, I don't need your critique about my raps, so why don't you shut your mouth before I pop a cap right in your overly muscled tail, cha?"

"Woah, woah, woah." said the rottweiler with a laugh. "Take it easy, Snoopy. No need for any a dat now."

"Ye might wanna learn to pronounce her name, Captain. Last time she shot yer tail ye yelped so loud they heard ye all the way ta Mystic Ruins."

"And another thing." said Snow Pea. "What's the deal inviting Pirate Pete over there to join the gang?"

A hissing sound reverberated through the air as the two dogs turned to an otter in blue pirate attire, spray painting a massive, stylized portrait of Snow Pea on the cracked walls, depicting the tiny chihuahua as a tall, slender warrior wielding blazing machine guns across a post apocalyptic war zone.

"That's Graffiti Greg, madame." said the otter in a deep yet salty voice. "And if ye can't get _my_ name right, then ye have no business correcting Vinnie about yours."

"Please, you're not even a real pirate, chico. You grew up two doors down from my aunt, in the city, just like all the rest of us."

"Real or not, ya godda admit, he does good work."

"Thank ye Captain."

With a huff, Snow Pea blew a lock of brown hair that had peaked out from under her bandana out of her face. "Whateva. My hips are not that big."

"And you...are definitely not dat tall."

"That's it, Vinnie!"

Just as the chihuahua prepared to pop a piece of lead in the rottweiler's tail, the group was interrupted by a newt in a black trench coat bursting in through the doors, panting as he stumbled and tripped across the cold concrete floor.

"Yo, Mikey," said Vinnie, still leaning back contently in his chair. "Where ya been? Ya missed dinner. I made my five star rigatoni."

"Trust me, ya didn't miss much."

"Says the girl who melted our best pot trying to make salsa."

"Hey! That was mi abuela's secret recipe. She used it to steal my grandpa's heart on their first date."

"Steal it? I'm surprised she didn't melt it."

A bullet imbedded itself in the concrete walls, nipping Vinnie's ear before hitting directly beside the newt's head, causing him to fall to the ground in a shock. With lightening speed, the rottweiler dove out of his chair, and turned it around, making a scant barrier between himself and the aggravated chihuahua.

"What was that for?" yelled Vinnie as another bullet imbedded itself in the wall.

"Nobody insults my grandmother's cooking and gets away with it!"

"GUYS!" All eyes turned to the newt, who stood cowering behind a stack of boxes. "We've got bigger issues!"

"Whad da ya mean, 'bigga issues?'"

Vinnie scrutinized the newt, causing him to hide further behind the boxes. Reluctantly, Mikey reached into his pocket and drew out a fist full of cash, showing it to the rottweiler who sighed, shaking his head as he rose from behind the chair.

"Two things." he said counting them off on his fingers as the previous tension melted away in light of the newly arisen situation. "One: who'd ya steal from this time, and Two: how far are they behind ya?"

"It was just this guy on the street!" said the pickpocket nervously, trying to save face as he stood in the spotlight of the rottweiler's gaze. As he spoke however, his voice quickly lost confidence, causing him to slouch guiltily like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "Nobody big. Just some random guy with a bag. I saw him standin' at a crosswalk and thought I'd get us some easy money."

"How far?"

"I think I lost him around Pine Street, but he's been chasing me since Night Babylon."

"That far?"

"Geez, Mikey! How much did you take from this guy?"

"It could be a cop." Everyone turned to Vinnie, his arms crossed with a pensive look upon his face.

"What makes ye think him a cop, Captain?"

"Guy gets pickpocketed in the middle of a city, and chases Mikey all the way from Night Babylon. It's possible he's lookin' to take Mikey here on an extended vacation to the gray bar hotel. Either that or..."

"Or?" asked the newt nervously. Snow Pea hissed as she made a motion across her throat with her finger, providing the end to Vinnie's statement. Mikey only managed to gulp one before his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped flat on the floor.

"Don't ye think it's possible that he just wants his money back?" asked Greg.

"Yeah, right. Who in their right mind would chase a pickpocket that far for a couple mobiums?"

"So, what are we gonna do? Huh, Vinnie?"

Sharp, white teeth gleamed in the orange light of the electric lamps as Vinnie smirked. "Simple. If da guy does find us, we have to make sure to give him our _best_ show a hospitality, kapish?"

Greg and Snow Pea stared for a moment before understanding slowly came to their eyes, causing them to smile as well. Vinnie walked towards one of the electric lights as the rest of his crew did the same.

"When you mess with one us, you mess with all of us. Dat's the street gang way." With a click, the lights turned off, one by one until the warehouse plunged further and further into darkness.

* * *

><p>Red shoes plopped lightly against the cold concrete as Knuckles made his way through the dark alleys of Inner Central City. The thief had managed to give him the slip, but luckily he had also left a trail of fallen trashcans and garbage to help Knuckles find his way. Unfortunately, even that had eventually come to an end, leaving him to search the nearby area for anywhere that the thief might have gone. After several minutes of searching, he came across a large, abandoned warehouse sitting hidden in the back alleys of the city, surrounded by taller, almost equally dilapidated apartment complexes. At some point the building had apparently belong to a company known as "Whole Sale Shipping", however years of neglect had caused almost all the letters on the front of the wear house to fall off, leaving on the word "hole" in its place.<p>

He sighed, before looking at the building with firey determination. In all reality, the money didn't really matter to him. It was the principal behind it. Right now, there was already someone out there who was attempting to steal his identity. To take who he was and use it to cover up their own crimes, leaving him with the blame. He had spent his entire life, guarding the Master Emerald, keeping it safe from those who would wish to steal it or do it harm, but now it was himself that he had to keep from being stolen. If he couldn't stop a small time thief like this, then he had no hope of stopping the one trying to steal his identity.

With firm resolution the crimson warrior stepped closer and closer towards the building. Whether the thief was in here or not, he had no idea, but if nothing else it was a good place to start looking. He looked up for a moment, and could have sworn he saw the shadow of someone peering out through one of the broken windows. However, in the blink of an eye they were gone. Raising his guard, he slowed as he approached the door, taking a deep breath before slowly opening the rusted steel doors of the building.

All was quiet inside. Moonlight streaming in through the windows above provided the only scant illumination inside the warehouse. There were no signs of movement. Only silence. Cautiously the echidna entered further into the warehouse, slowly stepping away from the door, leaving it open behind him. Something about this place set him on guard, though he didn't know why. It just felt too...

A brief bumping sound from up above quickly caught the echidna's attention. Quick as a flash, the echidna dove to the side, narrowly escaping as a large wooden crate smashed to splinters against the concrete floor where he had just stood. He looked up towards a large, metal catwalk that wrapped around the perimeter of the warehouse, directly underneath the broken windows. As fast as the first, another crate plummeted off the metal path, causing him to jump out of the way once more. Thinking fast, the echidna ran further away from the catwalk and deeper into the complex to avoid have the metal walkway directly over his head.

He backed up, trying to catch a glance of whoever was up there chucking crates at him, but unfortunately didn't have much time to think. Only a brief rattled served as a warning before a tall tower of crates came toppling towards him, threatening to smash the echidna under their weight. Knuckles barely had time to react, diving to the side as it all came crashing down behind him, filling the air with a cloud of age old dust as the crates smashed to pieces. Dust filled the echidna's lungs, inducing a fit of coughing as he attempted to catch a glimpse of his assailants amongst the darkness.

"Show yourselves!" he shouted angrily into the darkness. A snap. The echidna looked up barely in time to see a net high above open up, sending numerous wooden boxes and their contents careening down towards him. No time to react the might warrior shielded himself as it all came crashing down around him.

Echoes of the crash reverberated of the stone walls as the contents of the net piled on top of the echidna, until at last all slowly reverted back to silence. Slowly the dust settled, revealing the pile of broken wood and no sign of the crimson warrior. All was quiet.

With a crash, a mighty fist broke out of the wooden rubble. A cry of fury resounded as the wood was scattered across the room as the disguised warrior arose from the pile like a phoenix from the ashes. He stood panting in pure rage for a moment as he pulled himself further out of the pile, cap and slightly broken sunglasses still positioned upon his head, and bag still clutched tightly in his first. A high whistle filled the air, followed by slow clap from up above. Knuckles turned his eyes towards the sound as he watched large, muscular rottweiler walk forth from the shadows.

"I godda say, I'm impressed. You...are one tough dude."

"Who are you?" yelled the echidna furiously, receiving a small laugh in return.

"Yeesh. Talk about getting right to the point a things. You need ta lighten up a bit." A low growl of anger was all the figure received in response. With a smile, he shrugged, holding his hands up in mock defeat. "Alright. Alright. No need ta make a face like dat. Da name's Vinnie, and I believe you had some business ta take care of with my man Mikey, eh?"

"Who?"

"Da dude who jacked some a ya cash. At least I'm guessin' that that was you he stole from, otherwise it would appear we have a huge misunderstanding on our hands."

Knuckles snarled angrily at the canine. "So, you and the pickpocket are friends, eh?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say friends. Sound too touchy feely, if ya ask me. I mean I like da guy, but he's more like one a dos annoyin' kid brothers that ya gotta put up with than a friend."

"Hey!"

"Ya see, Mikey is part a my crew. He's been wid us for quit a while, and I've grown quit fond of him. He's like family to me now, even if he is annoyin at times. I guess if I think about, then yeah, you could say he was my friend, but still that's gettin' too much in da whole touchy feely direction."

"Well, friends or not, he stole from me, and I want back what he stole, got it?"

"Dat's it?"

"Huh?"

"Dat's all ya want? Wad he stole?"

"Uh...yeah."

Both parties stared at each other quizzically for a moment. After a moments pause, the rottweiler burst out laughing, holding his side as his chortling filled the air, both confusing and aggrivating the echidna below.

"What so funny, huh?"

"Man." said canine whipping a tear from his eye. "You chase Mikey all da way from Night Babylon ta here, and all ya want is ya cash back?" He laughed again. "You a some piece a work. I respect this. Howeva, ya gotta understand it's not quit so simple. Ya see, now that here, ya've intruded into our base. Our home. It's like breakin' and enterin', only our 'security system' didn't quit catch ya."

"Security system? YOU DROPPED BOXES ON ME!"

"Hey! It takes a long time ta set up does boxes. But puttin' dat aside, now that you've broken inta our home, we're gonna need ta take those funds as compensation for all ta trouble ya caused. You understand, right?"

Knuckles growled. "Oh, I understand alright."

"Great! So, you just make ya way out of our base, and we'll pretend that this whole thing neva."

"I understand that if you don't give _back what you stole_ then I may have to resort to more drastic actions, kapish?"

Slowly Vinnie's smiled melted into a sneer. "Listen, buddy, I got four good reasons why you don't wanna mess with my crew."

"And those are?"

With a smirk, Vinnie snapped his finger. Slowly three other gang members walked out of the shadows, surrounding Knuckles in a lose circle.

"Ya lookin at reason numba one, but allow me ta introduce ya ta reasons two, three, and four. Well, okay, so maybe it's more like three and a half coutin Mikey, but still, you get the drift."

"Hey!"

Knuckles looked around a moment before snickering. "So, this is the best you got?"

"Cocky little fellow, aren't ya?"

"Let me take him out, Vinnie." said a red clad chihuahua placing a clip in one of her hand guns. "I dun like his smile. He looks arrogant."

"Arg. He seems familiar. I wonder if I've painted someone like him before."

"I don't think even your graffeti could paint someone that ugly, pirate boy."

Knuckles grit his teeth angrily. "Look whose talking."

With a glare, the chihuahua raise her gun, pointing it at the baseball cap wearing intruder. "Fours shots. Two in the shoulders. Two in the kneecaps. He won't be able to move, but I promise he'll live."

"Just make sure ya don't miss. Don't want any unfortunate accidents staining our hands with murder."

"Got it." With a smile the chihuahua pointed a gun at each of the intruder's firmly muscled shoulders. "Say goodnight, chico."

Knuckles glared. "Goodnight." With a fluid motion, the echidna used his foot to launch one of the broken shards of wood into his hand. Quickly he flung it at the chihuahua, knocking one of the guns from her hands. The attack stunned the rapper for a moment before she leveled her second gun at the echidna who was now running for cover among the boxes. Shots rang out through the building, as bullets wizzed just behind Knuckles head.

"Get him!"

Knuckles dove behind a stack of crate, before giving it a mighty shove, sendingthe boxes tumbling down towards the gang members, and scattering them in multiple directions.

"Hey!" shouted Vinnie. "No fair using our security system against us!"

Scoffing, Knuckles moved quietly among the boxes, trying to stay hidden from the gang members. His success at this, however, proved to be minimal as the newt in the trench coat dove towards him with a switchblade in hand. Knuckles was forced to repetitively jump backwards as the amphibian swiftly swung the knife again and again, trying to cut the echidna to ribbons. A large crate bumped against the echidna's back, signalling that he had run out of room to run. With a cry, the newt lunged at the crimson warrior, only to find his knife imbedded in the wood of the crate as the echidna stepped to the side. With swift fury, the warrior deliver a powerful punch straight into the newt's jaws, sending him flopping and skipping backwards across the slick concrete floor until he finally skidded to a halt against an old couch in the middle of the room.

Knuckles stepped towards the fallen pickpocket, tying the carrying cloth around his shoulder in the process, only to jump back as a blast of fire scorched the air where he had just been, singeing the end of one os his dreadlocks in the process. Slowly an otter dressed in pirate garb stepped around the corner of the large wooden crate, holding a can of spray paint in one hand and a lighter in the other.

"Twas a bad idea with tha crew of Captain Vinnie, matey." said the otter in a salty voice as he held the lighter a safe distance in front of the can. "Now ye'll have ta walk the plank right into that hospital burn center."

A large fireball erupted as the paint passed over the lighter, causing Knuckles to jump out of the way once more, taking shelter from the flames. "Don't you know how dangerous that is?" shouted the crimson echidna. "If the flame burns into that can, it'll blow up!"

"Aye. Don't try this at home kiddies. I'm a trained professional with years of experience in the safety and handling of spray paint and its many uses. You try this, however, and ye've got a ninety five percent chance of burning yer wee little faces off, or worse. Fire is a dangerous thing, so ye must always be extra careful around it."

"Can the safety speech, and roast him already!"

Flames erupted once more as Knuckles tried to put some distance between himself and the otter. Unfortunately, that distance led him right towards a certain gun wielding chihuahua, who was less than happy to see him. Bullets whizzed through the air once more as the furious canine took aim at the intruder.

"Hold still while I fill you with more lead than a pencil factory!" she shouted as more and more bullet embedded themselves into the nearby crates. Quickly, the echidna tried to get out of the line of fire, only to be forced to back peddle once more as another ball of flames erupted in front of him. He dove to the side, taking cover behind one of the tall towers of boxes. He growled in annoyance. Either way he went, someone wanted to shoot something it him. Still, after facing so many of Eggman's gun wielding robots, he wasn't about to let these guys get the best of him.

"Where ye be hidden, coward?" shouted the otter mockingly as he rounded a corner. A large hand grasping hold of his wrist, however, quickly whipped the arrogant smile off his face. The crimson warrior grabbed the other wrist, pulling pirate wannabe within inches of his face before speaking in a quiet yet menacing voice.

"Nobody...calls me...a coward."

A gulp was the only response he could give before the crimson warrior spun around the side of the crate, and flung the otter through the air.

"There you _Umph_" Chihuahua and otter collided sending them both careening backwards into a tall stack of crates. Slowly the two started to rise, rubbing their respective heads before a light creaking alerted them to danger.

"Aw, crud."

Wooden boxes came crashing down atop the pair of gangsters, burying them under a large load of wood and debris. Knuckles smiled, confident in his victory as he walked towards fallen form of the newt, aiming to retrieve his prize.

"Yo, red. Lookin' fa dis?"

Turning his gaze upwards, Knuckles snarled as he saw the rottweiler mockingly waving the stolen goods through the air from up on the elevated catwalk.

"Ya want da green, ya gonna have to come get it."

"Big mistake."

Dashing across the bare concrete floor, the echidna made his way towards the cracked stone wall of the building. With heave of his powerful legs, he jumped into the air, slamming his fists into the wall. The spikes on his fist stuck him to the wall, leaving him hanging for just a moment by one fist, however he quickly slammed his other fist into the decaying wall, hauling himself upwards. Again and again he repeated the process, using the spiked fists to scale his way up to the catwalk. When he reached the top, he gave a mighty punch at the catwalk's steel frame, creating a hole large enough for the crimson warrior to rise through. With a fluid motion he flung himself upwards through the opening.

"Alright," he said as he landed. "Now it's just you and..."

Pain erupted from the back of the echidna's head. He stumbled forward before turning around in mid stumble. Spots flashed behind his eyes, slowly clearing at a rate that just allowed him to see a large baseball bat flying directly at him. With nanoseconds to spare, he swung his fist to the swing, the force breaking the baseball bat in two before it could reach him. He was off balance now. Vision still clearing, head still swimming, though he had broken the bat in half easily, the force still sent him stumbling into the glass of one of the building's few unbroken windows. A quick shake of the head finally cleared the spots from his vision, finally allowing him to see again. Before him stood the great, black canine, growling ferociously as he looked at the broken bat.

"Dat. Bat. Belonged. To. My. GRANPA!"

* * *

><p><em>Crash!<em>

The sound of shattering glass pierced the night air, quickly reaching the ears of the ivory haired thief as she flew overhead. Curiously, the bat looked down from her flight, watching as two figure flew through the top floor window of an old warehouse. Glass glittered like stars, reflecting the blue-white moonlight above as the trickled through the air around them. Her eyes shot wide as she watched them plummet toward the ground below.

Rouge dropped swiftly throw the air as she went down to investigate the pair. She landed quietly, lightly placing her bags upon the ground as she walked toward the fallen figures. Neither were moving. Broken glass coated the ground, making the thief's every step crunch, the only sound in the otherwise quiet night. A glancing observation helped her get a brief gist of the situation. Two males. Dark place. Inner city. Wasn't hard to figure out.

She walked over the first of the male, a large, black rottweiler. He had several nasty cuts, and from the looks of the side of his face someone had managed to get in a powerful right hook to the poor canine's jaw before he had taken his little tumble. From the looks of it, he might have even been out before they had hit the ground. The rise and fall of his chest, however, told her that he was still alive, which in turn redirected her attention to the other figure.

Cautiously, she made her way towards the obscured form of the other male. Slowly the moon peaked from the clouds. She gasped.

"Knuckles."

* * *

><p><strong>HAPPY BELATED VALENTINES DAY!<strong> ^O^ **Yes I know it's a touch late for the festival of hearts and love, but I still had to say it. It's one of my favorite celebrations, so belated Valentines day cookies for all!**

**First off, I'd like to say NEVER EVER TRY TO MAKE A SPRAY PAINT FLAME THROWER! This is a story, and even in story format the otter was lucky to have not died from trying something like that. DON'T DO THIS AT HOME!**

**Secondly, sorry for the shorter-than-normal-chapter. I had planned to write so much more, but I just got to that moment, and was like "This would make the absolute perfect stopping point!" It's a giant cliffhanger after what could be the most action packed chapter yet, but still, it had to be done. This was the first scene with combat in the story, plus it introduced some lovely side characters for fun, so let me know what you think of everything. I'm extremely eager to get feedback. ^^**

**And thirdly, I know this is a bit of a downer after an otherwise super fun, adrenaline pumping chapter, but I would like to dedicate this chapter to my Tatat (my name for my grandma), and my neighbor Ms. Joyce, who have both passed away since the last update. My grandma passed away 2 months 21 days after my grandpa. They're together now though, and I'm sure they're much happier that way, but down here we all still miss them. A lot has happened since this story began, but I'm going to honor all their memories by making this story the best story I've ever written, and writing it all the way to the end. Until next time my lovely readers! **

**P.S. Sparkling_nexis137 owns nothing but the plot of this story and original content within, and in no way owns the Sonic cast or related copyrighted content, though now that I think about I do wonder what Sonic company products have never actually been copyrighted. Maybe there's a mysterious warehouse somewhere of uncopyrighted ideas just waiting for fans to find and descend upon, like The Lost Temple of Sonic-topia or something. Who knows? O.O**


End file.
